The Star Hunter
by DragonGamer0713
Summary: Sequel to "When Love and Hate Collide". Chris must learn to live as her prey when she survived her sacrifice. Nick and the other survivors must learn to cope with her loss...but Fate will pay a visit to both sides. NOW RATED M!
1. Chapter 1

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 1: One of them**_

The sun shined down on my body. I lay on the stiff concrete ground, my forehead and neck aching like crazy. I groaned in pain as I tried to move. "What happened?" I thought to myself. My eyes opened, but my vision was very blurry for some reason. Everything was in a shade of red. "What the hell?" I tried to sit up, but I was too weak to do so. "What's wrong with me?"

A growl startled me. I reached for my Magnum, but it wasn't on my hip. "What? Where is it!" I shouted in panic.

"You won't need it", the voice lowly spoke. I froze. It was him. The Hunter that scarred me. I looked up and saw him hanging over my weak body, holding my Magnum in his claw.

I snarled, "Give me my Desert Eagle back!" He looked down on me and tossed it away. I growled, but it was far more menacing than I thought. "Huh?" The Hunter grinned at me. "Stop grinning at me! It haunts me! And why the fuck am I talking to you?"

He chuckled as he said, "Because you're one of us. You can understand me better than a series of growls or very loose words."

I shook my head, "I'm not one of you! I'm a Hunter hunter!"

He pointed to a shard of broken glass from a car's windshield. "Look again."

I crawled my way to the shard, while the male Hunter rolled his non-existent eyes. I looked into the cracked reflection and gasped. My skin was pale and blotched with bumps. I was wearing my dark hooded jacket, but it was viciously torn and scratched. My hood was up and when I pulled it down, my eyes were clear, but not gone. I screamed, but a screech escaped my vocals. "Holy fuck! I'm a…I'm a…"

"A Hunter", the male said.

I shook my head as I flipped my hood back on my head. "There's no way I'm a Hunter! I'm a human! A survivor!"

The male scowled, "Like it or not, you're a Hunter now! You can't escape it!"

"Wait. This is just a night mare! All I need is a wake-up call", I said, trying to deny the truth.

The Hunter sighed, grumbled, "Why won't you except it, Chris?"

I stopped and looked up at him. "How do you know my name? I never told you who I am."

He said, "I know all about you, Chris. I've been watching you, like your own guardian angel."

I snarled, "More like a demon from Hell! You scarred me for life and plagued me with nightmares! You're no guardian! You're an unholy creature! Nothing more!" Then I mumbled to myself, "I've already got a guardian angel: Bill."

He said calmly, "You're an unholy creature too. You…are…a…Hunter! A very intelligent one too! You get my abilities that none of the other Hunters have!"

I struggled to stand up, growled, "Like what?"

"Like the ability to regenerate wounds almost on the spot and invisibility", he answered.

I cocked my head and asked, "What are you? A super Hunter? Regenerating wounds? Invisibility?"

He scratched his neck and replied, "Let's just say I had a nasty run in with a Hunter myself."

I growled, "Wait…you were a human? I mean a survivor?"

He growled back, "Enough of this! We're not humans anymore! You're already thinking like a Hunter."

I bellowed into the air, "I…am…a…survivor!" my bellow was so loud, every zombie that wasn't killed in the explosion heard me.

The male Hunter sighed in defeat, "You are no more. I must head back. Come with me."

I growled, "Not until I get my Magnum back." I crawled on broken glass and tore asphalt to reach my Magnum. The male Hunter sighed and shook his head at my sad act. I saw it and beamed. My next move startled; I pounced at it. The male Hunter looked shocked at my sudden pounce. I grabbed my Desert Eagle and placed it back in its holster. "That was unexpected. Did I just pounce?"

The male ran up to me and said excitedly, "You did! You pounced and with fierce strength I must add! You're a quick learner, Chris."

I huffed, "I just wanted my fucking gun. I didn't ask for this shit to happen!"

He grunted, "I know. But you chose to stay! You chose to not get on the chopper!"

I stood up and pointed at him, "Listen here, Hunter! I did this because my friends would have died! I expected to die, not be this vicious monster!"

He grumbled, "Every decision has its consequences. Let's go." He began walking towards the wrecked bridge. I gasped on how fast he leaped from beam to beam or rock to rock. I just stared.

Once he got half way there, he turned around and waved his claw forward to usher me along. "Let's go! Hop across!"

I shouted back, "Fuck this! I'm swimming!"

He quickly snapped before I dived, "We Hunters can't swim! Don't jump in! You'll sink like a rock!"

I sighed and cursed under my breath, "This is fucking bullshit. Oh well, I was meant to die anyway." I took a deep breath and hopped to the closest beam. To my surprise, I landed on it without a hassle. I spotted another beam and leaped to it. My jump was a little short, but I was quick enough to grab a hold of the edge. Luckily, I didn't panic. However, I heard an ear-piercing shrill come from my pocket. It was Lazerlemon, looking down at the water and floating debris from the bombs.

I pulled myself up and took the little puff ball into my claws. He was terrified of my appearance. "It's ok, Lazerlemon. It's still me. Chris." He still was scared, so I placed him back into my hoodie pocket and commanded, "Hold on. Don't fall out." I heard him 'meep' inside and felt him shaking. I sighed as I looked ahead.

I began running across the beam and one fluent movement, hopped from one beam or rock to the next foothold. My speed and flexibility were amazing. I didn't stop once, only thinking of my next foothold I would land on. And for some strange reason, I felt powerful and deadly. Is this what a Hunter feels when he/she hunts? I don't know.

The male Hunter was waiting for me in the safe room. I hopped in and crashed into the wall. He huffed, "Work on your brakes, Chris."

I growled, "Hunter…"

He interrupted, "Just call me Scar."

I snarled, "Because that's what you gave me?"

He shook his head, "No. It's what I go by. Every Special Infected knows me as Scar. It's a code name."

I huffed, "Fine, Scar. I was going to say, if you didn't notice, I leaped the bridge remains without stopping. My adrenaline is through the fucking roof!"

Scar commented, "You'll get used to it. Now come on. I need to get back to the Ducatel sugar mill."

My nerves froze in shock, "The sugar mill? The sugar mill full of witches?"

He nodded, "That's the one."

I began shaking my head rapidly, "Hell no! No way I'm going near that place again! One of those bitches made me bleed out!"

He smirked under his hood, "That's because you pushed your boy out of the way. He startled Nancy first, but she ended up attacking you because you shoved that con man away from her."

Immediately, Nick came into my mind and so did that kiss he gave me before he got into the chopper. I looked down at my feet, which weren't covered by my sneakers anymore. I grumbled as I looked at myself again, "I look like I got raped."

Scar cackled at my comment, "Once you passed out, the common infected swarmed you and began attacking you."

I huffed, "Great. How did you get shredded up?"

"Hunter dominance. I proved victorious and I killed the loser", He answered.

I nodded and I felt Lazerlemon squirm in my pocket. I plucked him out and set him on the ammo table. "Are you ok, buddy?" He looked at me and nodded nervously. I smiled and petted his head. Scar looked at the fluff ball with a steely gaze which terrified Lazerlemon. He hopped back into my pocket, 'meeping' like crazy as if he was either praying or cussing.

I growled at Scar, "Leave the poor thing alone! He's been through a lot."

He scoffed, "So have I. Now let's go. Witch-ville awaits."

I once again stood my ground and snarled, "Didn't you hear me a second ago? I'm not going back to Ducatel! They'll kill me on sight!"

Scar sighed, "You're one of us now. They will not kill you." He began walking away again, so I just groaned in defeat as I followed him. I really don't want to believe that I'm a Hunter. The very thing I swore to destroy. I expected the Hunter to kill me! An eye for an eye, I thought. No.

Lazerlemon poked his head out and went 'meep' to me. I sighed and whispered, "I hope everyone is ok."

_**Later…**_

The helicopter landed on the roof with a soft thud. The pilot opened the back hatch and soldiers escorted the six remaining survivors off the chopper and into the tents. One of the soldiers noticed how melancholy the group was, so he asked, "Why the long faces?"

His buddy, who was a total asshole quipped, "One of them fucked a zombie, gave birth to a zombie and had to kill the zombie!"

The first soldier hit his buddy and growled, "Enough, Jock! That's not funny."

Coach looked up and said to the first soldier, "Amen, brother."

The soldier apologized, "Sorry about Jock. He's a flat out asshole. I'm sure something horrible happened to get you guys so upset."

Ellis looked at the soldier and replied, "You could say that…"

The soldier finished, "Dwayne."

Once in the tents, a CEDA guys told the group, "Strip down and prepare to be hosed down!"

Everyone stared at each other for a few seconds, trying to absorb the order right. Alex raised his hand and asked, "Naked? In front of everyone?"

The CEDA guy sighed and growled, "Just down to your underwear. And yes, in front of everyone!"

Everyone began to strip to their skivvies (Alex was naked) and was thrown into a chemical shower, one by one. Nick hated it, but he was too upset to gripe about it. Sheila wasn't too crazy about it either, but she was glad to feel clean again. Hell, everyone was.

Two CEDA guys gave everyone a new set of scrubs to wear until they got new outfits. They were all the same color: white. Ro groaned, "White? Seriously?"

Coach shrugged, "It's better than nothing, Ro."

She nodded, "That's true."

Ellis growled as he tried to scratch his back, "This damn scrub is giving me a nasty itch on the back here!"

Sheila asked, "Where?"

He pointed to his middle back and replied, "Right here."

She began to scratch his back and he began to groan with pleasure. Nick looked away from the couple with a heavy heart. He gave a depressed sigh and his eyes grew glossy. Alex walked over to him and gripped his shoulder, "We miss her too, Nick."

Nick shoved him off and growled, "Get away from me, Alex. I'm not in the mood."

Alex took a step back and sighed, "Alright Nick. I just want to help ya."

Coach took Alex by the shoulder and said, "Leave him alone. He needs time to himself."

Alex nodded, "Alright, Coach."

The soldier escort stepped forward and the CEDA guys commanded them, "Take them to tent #7."

Jock replied, "Yes sir."

Dwayne nodded, "Will do, sir."

The two soldiers escorted the group into their assigned tent and gave them rules. "There are the rules, guys", Jock began, "Rule number one: No fucking."

Nick really wanted to punch Jock's face in and Dwayne could see that. "No. Rule number one is being respectful of your tent mates and the staff. We're trying to help you guys survive this disaster."

Ro replied, "Thanks, Dwayne, but the military did shit rescuing everyone in New Orleans. They bombed real people."

Dwayne sighed, "Sadly, the city was under quarantine."

Then Nick snarled, "Then why are we alive?"

Nick's tone scared Dwayne slightly. Jock snapped back at the con man, "Because, you guys came along and saw what the fuck happened! The general couldn't kill you guys, because we had to save your sorry, zombie-killing asses!"

Nick's fist quickly made contact with Jock's nose, making a crushing noise, followed by a wail of pain by Jock. Ellis and Coach quickly pulled Nick away from the injured soldier while Alex protected Sheila and Ro in case he went totally bat-shit on anyone. Nick bellowed as he struggled, "If you were supposed to save us, then why didn't you save all of us! The woman I love died on your fucking helicopter pad, saving _us_ from your fucking failure to help! If the military was there, then where were all of the fucking infantry? Fuckers like you should have died out there, not Christina!"

Dwayne kneeled before his comrade and growled at him, "Lay off, Jock. They have been through a lot."

He helped Jock to his feet and led him out of the tent to repair his nose. Nick stopped his fuming rage and broke down on the ground. Everyone left Nick alone, letting him vent on his own. They were upset over my sacrifice as well, but they knew Nick took it the hardest. They saw foldable beds along the walls of the tent, so they choose a vacant bed to sleep on. Within minutes, Coach, Ro, Alex, Ellis, and Sheila were asleep.

Nick finally calmed down from his meltdown and he took my bandana out of a special pocket in his boxers. Since he knew about the chemical bath, he decided to keep it hidden, away from everyone. He wrapped it around his hand and kissed it while trying not to cry. He whispered, "I'm sorry, Chris. I wish I didn't let you go." He felt tears overpowering his eyes, so he quickly wiped his eyes clear with his scrub sleeve. He looked around and noticed he was the only one awake. The moon gave off an eerie light, causing Nick to look up at the sky. A star winked down on him, causing his heart to cry out. That was the star that Nick and I saw wink on us when the storm pasted.

Nick felt tears coming back, but this time, he didn't stop them. He closed his eyes and they began rolling down his cheeks. He sniffled as he looked for an empty bed for him to sleep on. He saw one in the far right corner, near Sheila. He stood up and dragged his feet to the vacant bed and he just fall onto it. He crawled the rest of the way to the pillow and he began sobbing into it. He cried himself to sleep, still holding onto my bandana in his hand, never letting go.


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 2: There Goes the Neighborhood**_

"Here it is", Scar announced as we approached the sugar mill. My already pale face paled as I stared at the building with fear. Lazerlemon peeked out of my pocket and his face paled as well. The storm was long gone, thank God, but the sight of the mill brought pain and fear into my eyes.

I snarled, "I'm perfectly aware of that! I don't want to be here." Lazerlemon 'meeped' in agreement. He remembers the witches.

Scar replied calmly, "I told you before. The witches won't attack a Hunter unless provoked."

I huffed sarcastically, "Oh great! Is that suppose to make me feel better?"

Scar whispered, "I take it, it didn't work."

I huffed, "No shit, Sherlock."

Regardless, we hopped into the building and into the factory. I stopped dead in my tracks, scanning the area for the witches. There were plenty. My blood ran cold as my claws balled into fists at the mere memory of these crying bitches.

Scar strolled forward and shouted, "Hello, ladies!"

All the witches looked at Scar and actually smiled. They all replied in unison, "Hello, Scar!"

Lazerlemon hopped out of my pocket and stood beside me. He looked up at me with a confused look on his face. I returned his look with a shrug. Is this Hunter a celebrity to these witches? The witches began talking to each other about Scar. I rolled my clear eyes and muttered, "Just like the girls in high school."

Scar faced his attention to me and announced to his 'fan club', "Everyone, we have a new recruit!"

The witches began growling as they followed Scar's gaze to me. I snarled in self-defense as Lazerlemon climbed up onto my shoulder. I reached for my Magnum, which immediately made the witches frantic. "A survivor?"

"Here?"

"Why!"

"It's her!" The last witch hissed. Her comrades looked at her for an explanation. That witch began walking towards me, glaring at me with anger.

I stood my ground and snarled, "What did I do!"

She stood in front of me and jabbed her index claw into my neck. "You saved the man in the white suit. Your team killed Nancy! Now, I'm going to kill you!"

I did a quick-draw with my Magnum and aimed for her head, "Bring it bitch!"

Scar quickly hopped between us and snarled at the witch, "Melissa! She's one of us now! Stand down!"

She obeyed him, but not before growling at me. I growled back as I put my Magnum back into its holster. Scar stood up and said, "Don't worry about Melissa. She's the short fuse among them all. Plus, she's pissed that your team survived. She hates your boy for some odd reason."

I huffed, "He has a name, Scar. It's Nick."

He replied, "Well, I'm sorry. I didn't have time to learn all of your teammates' names. I only know you and that's it."

He walked away from me and began talking to his witch posse. I hissed to myself as I watched him, "Stalker."

A howl broke out of Scar's throat, causing me to force my claws into my ears to muffle the sound. Lazerlemon fell off my shoulder and curled up into a ball of fur, covering his own ears with his little claws. The Special Infected that were at the helicopter pad appeared behind me. Lazerlemon saw the Jockey again and screamed. I spun around and my eyes bugged out.

Scar hopped to my side and grinned, "Meet you new family, Chris."

I began walking backwards, shaking my head. "No. Not my family. My family is dead! All because of your fucking kind!"

The Smoker spoke, "Sad to say, we all paid tribute to that bloody day. Except for young Nathan." He looked at the young Hunter next to him and smiled at him. Nathan looked up at the Smoker and nodded.

Nathan asked me, "What's that thing on the ground next to you?"

I looked down at Lazerlemon and replied, "A Hunter pup named Lazerlemon. He was my friend's pet. Wait…you helped kill my family?"

The Jockey looked down and replied, "Yeah. We were ordered to do so."

I grabbed the Jockey's throat, alerting the rest of his buddies. I snarled, "Who gave you the order?"

He was terrified by my tone, so he pointed to Scar. I let the Jockey go and hissed at Scar. "Why! Why, you mother fucker!"

Scar replied as calmly as possible, "I was supposed to get you into this apocalypse. Besides, it killed me to do it. However, it was the only way to see you survive. If you stayed with them, you would've been killed as well. At least, the last female Starly survived."

I stormed up to Scar and slashed his face with my claws. This action of violence shocked everyone. Scar stumbled backwards, holding his face in his claws. The Charger grabbed a hold of me and shoved me into a nearby wall. The Jockey picked up Lazerlemon and cackled at his fear.

Scar's wound healed miraculously fast and he barked, "Rambo! Put her down! Detour! Unhand the pup!"

The Charger growled as he obeyed Scar. The Jockey groaned as he dropped Lazerlemon onto the ground. Lazerlemon huffed at the Jockey and the Jockey huffed back. I dusted myself off and the Charger growled, "You're lucky that I didn't pound you into a pancake."

I hissed, "Just like you did to Joey, my brother?"

The Charger stared at me. Then I hissed at the Jockey, "And you rode my sister, Mary to her death!" The Jockey looked down to avoid my gaze. My eyes traveled to the Smoker and snarled, "You killed my youngest sister, Cindy!"

But unlike the Charger and the Jockey, the Smoker stood up for himself, "But I saved your friend from the ditch! You tricked me into saving him!"

My glare softened and I asked, "So you were the Smoker that we spared?"

He nodded, "Yes I am. My name is Salt Lick."

I growled softly, "I'm Chris. And who are the rest of you?"

The Charger spoke, "I'm Sir Rambo. And I'm quite proud of it."

The Jockey began hopping up and down, "I'm Detour! I'm the meanest and craziest Jockey you'll ever meet, Chris. I guarantee it!"

I stood back a little, thinking Detour was going to hop at me. The Tank lumbered forward and announced, "You may call me Brawn. Why did you avoid me on the bridge?"

I replied, "We wanted to avoid all confrontations. We ran and didn't bother attacking."

He nodded, "That's understandable, I guess."

The Boomer waddled over to me and said, "I'm Booms."

I cocked my eyebrow and quipped harshly, "How original."

He scoffed, "Well, sorry for not being very creative!" Booms huffed as he waddled away from me.

The Spitter walked up to me and said, "Don't worry about him. He may not be very smart, but he is quite sensitive. I'm Abby."

Before I replied, a witch walked beside Abby. I backed away a little. The witch saw me retreat slightly and she waved her claws innocently, "Don't worry about me. I won't hurt a fellow infected, even if you were a survivor. I'm Chloe."

She raised her claw to me, wanting to shake my hand. I looked at it with uncertainty. "I'm not quite comfortable with witch claws touching my flesh."

She chuckled, "I know Nancy gave you a nasty wound last time, but I'm not like the other witches. I was human once and I'm actually quite happy. I know what it's like to lose people you cared for. You can trust me."

I sighed as I looked at Chloe. She seemed nice enough and she didn't attack me for being a survivor. She had soft ruby colored eyes and white skin. Unlike the other witches, who wear white torn tank tops and underwear, she wore a black tank top with a pair of small denim shorts. I guess I can try to trust her. I replied, "Ok. But if you or any of you back-stab me, I will stab back."

Scar chuckled, "Relax, Chris. They won't you without a reason. Even Melissa."

I snarled, "Yeah. What's her beef with me?"

Detour answered, "She hates the man in the white suit."

Brawn added, "She wanted to kill him."

I asked the Tank, "Why?"

Salt Lick answered for him as he lit up a cigarette, which made me think of Bill, "We don't truly know. Maybe they knew each other once and hate the other. Every time we ask, she flips. Trust me on this Chris. You never wanna pick a fight with the strongest witch in this mill."

I sighed, "Fine. I won't fight her. I've bled to death once and I don't need to do it again.

Salt Lick smirked, "Oh yes. You took Nancy instead of him. I saw that."

Chloe giggled, "So did I. That was a gutsy move. Then you were cussing like crazy afterwards. Damn it was too funny."

I narrowed my eyes. My pain was funny to them. The memory of bleeding out was hurtful and dreadful. I pressed my claw against my chest and sighed. Nick. My heart cries for him. I was glad I took that witch Nancy for him. Sure, I died in the process, but I thought with my heart and not with my head at the time. Just the thought of Nick made my heart hurt and my eyes slightly glossy.

Lazerlemon walked up to my leg and rubbed up against it like a cat. I looked down at him and petted the top of his head. A small tear escaped my eyes and it fell onto his furry head. He 'meeped' as he shook it off his fur. Chloe saw it and asked, "Was it something I said?"

Instead of answering, I got up and hopped away somewhere away from the infected. I saw one of the deserted trailers, so I stood up on my hind legs and opened it. Water gushed out of the door, causing me to leap out of the way of the rushing flood water. I waited for the water to stop flowing before walking into the trailer. It was small with slippery tile, thanks to the flood a few days ago. There was a desk with a SPAS shotgun on it and a few Molotovs. I sighed as I picked up the shotgun. I remember that this was Coach's favorite gun. It felt weird in my claws since I'm now the enemy. However, in my head, I said, "This is so right. What can I shoot with this?"

Sadly, I had to put the shotgun down and moved the Molotovs off the desk. I climbed on top of the desk and curled into a ball, quietly weeping. I cried for Nick. I cried for my family. I cried for a sign. In order to calm my nerves down, I pulled my IPod out of my pocket and began playing a song on random. It was "Unknown Soldier" by Breaking Benjamin. I began singing the chorus every time it came around.

_Show me what it's like_

_To dream in black and white_

_So I can leave this world tonight._

_Holding on too tight_

_Breathe the breath of life_

_So I can leave this world behind _

Lazerlemon hopped into the trailer and saw me crying underneath my hood. He 'meeped' in sadness, so he hopped onto the desk and cuddled into my shoulder, trying to help me feel better. I gently petted him, whispering, "Good boy. Good pup." He purred in response. My eyelids grew heavy due to exhaustion. I hid my face into my sleeve and cried myself to sleep. Wishing for my friends, praying that everyone is ok.

_~I looked over the sugar mill as the witches began slaughtering human soldiers. I grinned, showing my bloody teeth. Another figure walked to my side and observed the scene. I asked without looking at the figure, "Scar, are you pleased with the amount of human blood?"_

_The lead Hunter nodded, "Yes. You have done well to lead the team here. Now, they can't escape their fate. I'm impressed, Chris. You have become a great Hunter. I'm quite proud of you."_

_I nodded with respect, "Thank you, Scar. Your kind words give me the satisfaction I desired for so long."_

_He replied, "I'm glad." He looked down and noticed one of the soldiers was fighting back…and winning. He snarled and turned to me. "Finish him, Chris!" he commanded._

_I nodded as I leaped down into the battle zone and pounced the fierce soldier. He grunted under my attack and fell on his back. I hissed at the soldier and slashed his helmet off. Before I clawed his chest open, his face made me freeze in place. Emerald green eyes. Black, slick hair. Round jaw. Kissable lips that make my black heart ache. "Nick!"~ _

I woke up with a yell. Lazerlemon hopped out of his fur and landed on the floor. I began panting and after a few seconds, the tears came back to my eyes. "Why must I be tortured?" I sobbed as my eyes closed again, hoping to avoid that dream. Nick…I miss you…

_**Later…**_

A bugle blasted into the survivors' tent, alerting everyone of the sudden noise. The boys cussed over the rude wake up call, while the girls groaned and placed their pillows over their heads to muffle the sound. A loud voice boomed after the bugle's call, "Wake up! Up and at 'em, ladies!"

Ellis groaned as he rubbed his eyes, "He must be talkin' to Sheila and Ro."

Nick snapped at him, "He's talking about all of us, Overalls!" Then he turned to the bugler, "Since when did this center become a fucking boot camp?"

The bugler replied in the same commanding tone, "You ladies are going to be the next soldiers that'll be fighting this infection! Now move it!" The bugler walked out of the tent and Ellis immediately fell back down on his pillow, not wanting to wake up yet.

"Fuck this", Nick huffed as he yawned, thanks to the lack of sleep.

Coach stood up and stretched his aching limbs. "Come on people. You hear the man."

Alex snapped, "Yeah, but that man is an asshole!"

Then Sheila replied, "Welcome to the worst camp on Earth: Boot Camp."

Alex groaned as he forced his legs to move. Sadly, they were asleep so when he went to stand up, they buckled and he fell onto the ground.

Ro yawned and stood up beside her bed, looking like she was doing something. She asked, "Hey, Nick?"

The con man turned to his weary companion and yawned, "Yeah?'

She asked, "What did he mean about us being soldiers?"

Coach added, "Fighting the infection? Are they forcing us back into the zombie-filled hell?"

Nick sighed, "I hope not. If so, then I'm getting my ass out of here."

Sheila walked over to Nick and placed her hand on his shoulder, "We need you, Nick. Don't leave us."

He huffed, "I refuse to fight those mealy-mouthed bastards again! Especially after what happened." His tone grew melancholy as he looked down at the ground. Sheila sadly nodded and walked away from the male con artist.

Yesterday's soldier escort walked into the tent. Jock had his nose all bandaged up and it looked swollen, earning a snicker from Nick. Dwayne had a more relaxed approach, while Jock was still fuming from yesterday's incident, so he was sterner. Coach looked up and said, "Hey, Dwayne."

Dwayne replied, "Hey, guys. Time to get your breakfast."

Alex asked, "We need a soldier escort for breakfast? That's weird."

Dwayne chuckled, "I agree, but the generals don't like taking their chances sometimes. Especially after finding you guys."

Sheila asked as she shook Ellis wake, "What's on the menu?"

Jock replied in a snarky tone, "Slop and water. That's it."

Ro, Sheila and Alex retched over the image floating in their heads. Slop can be anything from dog food to oatmeal. Disgusting stuff. Nick huffed, thinking of the food he's had in prison. That was his breakfast: slop and water. Coach didn't think too much of it and Ellis wasn't fully awake to care.

Jock and Dwayne escorted the not-so-sunny group of zombie slayers to a bigger tent. Inside were tables, chairs and a few more soldiers. The table in the back had huge pots with chefs scooping the contents inside and onto waiting plates. Dwayne and Jock got their plates and the group followed their lead. They slid their plates along the table like high school cafeteria trays and watched the glob of food splash onto their plates. Sheila and Ro went wide eyed at the concoction. It looked like white paste with chucks of meat and peppers in it, without flavor. They got their breakfast and followed the soldiers to a vacant table.

Jock didn't seem too happy having non-military company sitting with him and his partner. "Hey. Reserved for soldiers. Get out of here!"

Nick asked challengingly, "You know what would look good with your broken nose?"

Jock hissed, matching Nick's tone, "No. Enlighten me."

Nick balled up his fist and snarled, "Two black eyes!"

Dwayne snapped at his comrade, "Quit being a jackass to them! They had a hard time. Cut them some slack, Jock!"

Alex sighed, "Thank you, Dwayne."

He nodded, "You're welcome…"

"Alex. Alex Bucker", the young redneck replied.

Sheila said, "I'm Sheila Spyri."

Dwayne bowed his head slightly to show courtesy. "Pleasure to meet you, Sheila. The other young lady is…"

Ro finished, "Rochelle Lucason."

Coach chimed in, "You can call me Coach Callaway. Coach will do just fine." He reached over the table and held out his hand to the soldier.

Dwayne shook it and smiled, "Will do, Coach." Then he turned to Ellis, "You. In the trucker cap. What's your name?"

Ellis blinked and then answered, "I'm Ellis Bucker."

The soldier asked, "You and Alex brothers?"

Ellis nodded, "Yep. My only blood family alive."

Dwayne nodded sadly, "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure every one of you lost someone to the zombies."

A deathly silence loomed over the survivors, which made the soldiers feel uneasy. Sheila whispered, "We lost some one very dear to us."

Nick growled, "Let's drop it now. It's too much."

Dwayne asked, "Your name, buddy?"

Nick looked up at the soldier. His icy gaze made Dwayne feel very uncomfortable. Nick answered, "Nick. That's all you need." Dwayne nodded as a result.

As they muscled down the breakfast paste, Sheila pointed out, "I think 'Dwayne' was Hicks' first name in the movie 'Aliens.'"

Dwayne nodded, "Yeah. That's where I got my name from. My parents were big 'Alien' sage fans. Not a lot of people can point that connection out."

She replied, "You can thank an old friend for that. She showed me the 'Alien' movies and I love them. 'Aliens' is my favorite, so that's why I noticed that coincidence."

Jock commented sweetly to Sheila, "Good movie smarts. I'll admit that."

She responded, "Thanks, Jock."

All of a sudden, a man dressed up in a military uniform walked into the tent and shouted, "Alright! Breakfast is over, ladies! Tent 7 must stay here. The rest of you are dismissed! Move!"

All of the other soldiers and employees scrambled out of the tent, leaving the Tent 7 survivors with their escort. Two CEDA guys walked in with fresh new clothes to replace their scrubs. They were camo pants and black shirt. Simple enough, they thought. "Put these on", one of the CEDA guys commanded. Without a second thought, they obeyed. Alex got a new pair of boxers so he doesn't go commando anymore.

Once they were dressed in their new outfits, the general clicked his heels and shouted, "Forward face!"

It startled the survivors, causing them to face in any other direction possible. Dwayne and Jock began snickering. Jock said to the pressured survivors, "It means face him, idiots."

As they corrected their mistake, Nick muttered under his breath, "He's getting a few steps closer to those black eyes." Ro, who was right next to him, nudged him hard in the ribs. He subtly winced in pain.

The general rolled his eyes at his new recruits and barked, "Alright now. As of today, you maggots are getting to be trained to become ZVS."

Alex sheepishly raised his hand as if he was in school, "What does 'ZVS' stand for?"

The general walked up to him and bored into his eyes, "Zombie Veteran Soldiers. Do you understand!"

Alex cowered under the man's powerful voice, shaking his head rapidly. The older survivors felt bad for Alex for being yelled at for asking a simple question. The general asked, "Any more questions, rookie?" Alex once again shook his head rapidly to avoid the man's booming voice. "Good!"

The general walked back to his original spot and continued his speech, "I will train you to destroy the infected menace! It will be hard. It will be painful. And you will beg for mercy! But I won't give it. Do I make myself clear?"

They lazily nodded. The general growled and repeated much louder, "Do I make myself clear!"

They all shouted in unison, "Sir, yes sir!"

The general smiled, "Good. You'll start by doing 50!"

Sheila paled, "50 push-ups?"

He snapped his head to her and asked, "What did you say, little missy?"

She froze in fear as she repeated to the best of her ability, "50 push-ups, sir?"

He sweetly nodded, "That's right, lady. 50 push-ups. Girlie push-ups don't count."

Ro and Sheila softly groaned to themselves. They never thought they would end up here. Hell none of them expected this change. They had their opinions on boot camp, but sadly, their opinions didn't matter anymore. When in boot camp, you're treated like dirt and you must fight or break.

"Now!" the general boomed, startling the survivors out of their thoughts. They hit dirt and began doing their push-ups. Nick and Coach were by far the strongest ones out of the group, so they didn't have a lot of trouble with the push-ups until they got around the early 40s.

Ro and Sheila struggled, thanks to their lack in upper body strength. Ellis and Alex were also not very strong, but thanks to their slight muscle tone they gained from the apocalypse, they were able to gain an advantage over the girls.

Once the push-ups were done, the general barked at them to do 50 more. They groaned as they went back down on the ground and did a total of hundred push-ups. Once that 50 was done, their arms began to ache. It seemed today was going to last forever to the weary survivors. It took them only a few hours to do those push-ups and as punishment to being so slow, they were forced to do 50 more.

The next "training" they had to do was weapons clearing and firing. They sighed and grinned at the sight of their old guns. Nick grabbed a hold of his Assault rifle and exhaled, "This feels so right."

Coach grabbed his Spas and replied, "I know it, Nick! I missed this gun."

Sheila took her military sniper and cradled it like a baby, "I missed my sniper sooo much! I feel deadly wielding it."

Ellis plucked his hunting rifle out of the pile and looked through the scope. "Watch yourself, Nick. I've got ya in my sights." Nick looked at him and took a step back because the end of the barrel was directly in his face. Ellis laughed as he lowered it.

Alex took his MP5 (which is a German-only sub machine gun) and brushed his fingers along the barrel and back up again. He scoffed, "My baby! I thought I lost you!"

Ro picked up her combat rifle and pondered, "I wonder if the military cleaned these guns."

Nick scoffed harshly, but then sighed nicely, "I doubt it. Why else would they tell us to clean them?"

She replied with a shrug to her own question, "Good point, Nick. Forget I asked."

He nodded, but didn't reply. He looked on the table and noticed an AK-47 on it. Immediately, he thought of me. Dwayne walked up from behind and picked the powerful gun. The soldier noticed Nick staring at his gun, so he asked, "Nick? Are you ok?"

Nick blinked and his mind was pulled out of his memories. "Huh? Yeah, I'm ok. We just knew a person who used an AK-47. That's all."

Dwayne grinned as he examined his weapon, "Yeah. I don't blame that person for using this gun. It's great for every situation. Short range, long range, and melee. Hey see this pattern on the butt?"

Nick looked at the design on the AK's end. It was a weird looking swirl and the bigger end looked like a head with gaping jaws. The color itself was black, but the surrounding design looked like it was singed with acid. Nick quickly connected two-and-two together. "Alien", he concluded.

Dwayne nodded, "Yep. You're sharp, Nick. Hey, who was the person who used the AK?"

Nick's eyes grew icy and his jaw began clenching. Just the vibes off the con artist made Dwayne realize that he went a bit too far. "Just someone", Nick answered with sorrow mixed with anger in his voice. Not wanting to push the topic any further, the soldier nodded and began teaching the survivors how to clean their weapons. At least they were being taught by a humble solider and not by the general. They were grateful for that.

Once the sun went down, the group retreated back to their tent. They dragged themselves to their beds and crashed onto them with loud moans of pain and fatigue. This camp was torture. The apocalypse was deadly Hell. At this point, they would've taken their chances back with the zombies.

Ellis complained, "I can't feel my arms."

Sheila replied as she rolled onto her side to face him, "You and me both, baby. I'm going to be so sore tomorrow."

Nick snapped, "How many push-ups have you done today, Overalls?"

Ellis was taken aback by Nick's sudden mood change. Hell, he has PMS since my sacrifice. "150 push-ups."

Nick let out a half-laugh, followed by, "Is that all? I did 300!"

Ro defended the elder Bucker by replying, "That was your fault! You shouldn't have shot Jock during weapon training!"

Nick hissed, "He had it coming. Besides, the trigger was touchy."

Coach grumbled, "Enough! Time to get some sleep, y'all." Within seconds, Coach was already asleep.

Ellis edged to the end of his bed and whispered to Sheila, "Good night, my darlin'."

She giggled as she responded, "Night, hot shot." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, which made him grin ear-to-ear and blush.

The moment was killed when Alex quipped, "Shame, shame. I know your name!"

Ellis scowled, "Shut up, lil' bro. Get some shut eye!" Alex shrugged as he flopped on his bed, trying to get comfortable. It took him five minutes of twisting and turning before he was settled.

Nick saw the small good-night kiss and his heart sank deeper into the abyss of his sorrow. He looked away from his team mates and pulled out my bandana from his pants pocket. Ro saw him and sighed, "I'm sorry, Nick. Don't stay up too late." He only nodded without facing her. She crawled under the covers and fell asleep, leaving Nick alone.

He began playing with the bandana as his eyes grew flossy again. He quickly wiped his eyes dry, whispering to himself, "Why am I crying so much?" In his sunken heart, he knew the true answer: he loved me and seeing me sacrifice myself to save everyone killed him inside. He sighed as he tied the bandana around his wrist and snuggled into his pillow. When his eyes were engulfing in darkness, he let one tear escape and let it roll down his face. Sleep took over, letting Nick be in peace for awhile until the sun rise again. He needs it.

**A/N: I was loosey goosey with the reviews in my last story, but not this time. If you want to see chapter 3, I need to obtain 5 different reviews. I want to know what people think of my work, so please review. No reviews=no new chappie!**

**Nick: Guys, she's serious about this. Just do it.**

**Lazerlemon: Meep!**

**Nick: What! Get away from me, you fur ball!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 3: The Enemy of my Enemy **_

It's amazing how fast days are flying by. This is Day 4 of my transformation. I wasn't too happy with it, seeing I'm still stuck in the sugar mill with all of these PMS witches who hate me. Just because I saved Nick from certain death! It was my own decision to save him and yet the witches are still pissed at me. The only witch that didn't hate me was Chloe. She was like the infected form of Sheila. She was always there to help me out. Even if I demanded to be alone.

I was "stationed" at the Midnight Riders' stage. Scar said that I can relax better here than at the sugar mill by far. I didn't hesitant the chance to get out of there. However, I wasn't going back alone. Scar, Detour, Salt Lick, and Chloe would escort me.

I huffed, "Do I need an escort?"

Scar nodded, "Yes."

Lazerlemon purred in my pocket as we trekked through the swamp. We hopped through the crashed plane, which made me curse as I remembered the fight. "Why? You should know that I'm not going to run off."

Detour began cackling as he hopped next to me, "I could outrun you in a heartbeat!"

I scoffed, but then my con artist urges began talking to me. "Bet you five bucks that I can beat you to the crashed helicopter!"

Detour waved his bony finger back and forth and replied, "Yeah right! You ain't winning money off this Jockey, sister! I'm not that stupid!"

I snapped my fingers and growled, "Shit. And don't call me 'sister'. I had a family…which all of you assisted in!" Detour's crazy mood was killed as he looked down at the ground.

Salt Lick butted in, "I know you are still upset about what happened…"

I stood up and snapped, "Upset? I lost everyone I ever cared about! My friends, my family, and…" My rage turned into sorrow when the sheer memory of Nick buzzed in my head. In order to counter my sorrow, I picked up a nearby Molotov, tore the cloth off and chugged it. The other Special Infected stared at me as I chugged down the alcohol in the bottle. Once it was done, I smashed the bottle against a tree and the glass shattered into tiny pieces.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Scar asked, "You ok?"

I looked up and nodded, "Yeah. I'm good now. Molotovs are good for something after all."

Chloe placed a red claw on my shoulder and soothed, "You miss him."

I shrugged her claw off me and muttered, "I don't know what you're talking about." She rolled her eyes, realizing that I'm avoiding the issue. We began walking again and emerged from the swamp. We walked pass the Hunter carcass that got a headshot without trying. Everyone bowed their heads to pay their respects, unlike me, who grinned as I played with my Hunter tooth necklace.

Scar asked, "Why do you wear that talisman of our fallen kind?"

I looked up and retorted rather light-hearted, but offensive, "Because I'm like General Grievous. I slaughter my enemies and take their teeth as trophies to show off. I'm one badass motherfucker with this collection!"

Scar growled menacingly, which scared Detour, Salt Lick, and Chloe, but it didn't faze me at all. I just cocked an eyebrow and replied, "I grew up with horror movies and I survived this fucking apocalypse. Nothing scares me anymore."

Salt Lick asked, "Have you seen 'Hostel'?"

I nodded, "Oh hell yeah. My sister hated that movie with burning passion. I watched it and thought, 'What the hell? That's not scary.' 40 minutes of porno and the rest is torture."

The Smoker grinned and nodded, "Pretty much. Makes me scared to go overseas to Europe."

I chuckled, "Ever since that movie, I always carried a weapon with me. It was normally my Swiss Army Knife. Now, I carry this Magnum." I stood up again and pulled my gun out of its holster. I twirled it western-style and aimed it at a nearby propane tank. The hammer cocked back as I fired at the tank and the impact of the bullet caused the tank to explode into a fiery ball.

Scar grinned as he asked, "Where did you get that gun?"

I scoffed as I blew into the barrel, "You should know. You were there!" I looked up at the sky and thought of the Magnum original owner: Mac. He was selfless and brave to confront three Hunters in order to protect me. God rest his soul. I lost a lot of good people in this hell.

He chuckled as we walked on. Detour was getting restless, so he began whimpering in anxiety. I looked at the crazy Jockey and chuckled evilly. I began hopping around in circles, trying to provoke the zombie. Detour watched and began giggling. I hopped in front of him and declared, "My bet still stands, Jockey." Detour closed his eyes and shook his head rapidly. I just shrugged.

Lazerlemon leaped out of my pocket and began hopping around my springy body. He was just as energized as me. I also began to notice he was growing bigger and less hairy. I don't know anything about a Hunter's lifecycle. Maybe he's just growing up. He hopped onto my shoulder and then onto my head. He 'meeped' loudly. I chuckled as I threw my head up and he went flying up into the air and into a tree. He began meeping happily as he hopped from one tree branch to another. Chloe had to watch the little pup and went "Awwww. Too cute for words."

I nodded as I shouted to the pup, "Lazerlemon! Come hither my furry friend! We need to get going!" He nodded and took another dare-devil leap off the top branch and onto my back. He's not that heavy but the speed he was falling made me crouch a little when he landed. "Oomph! Damn little guy. Lay off the common fingers." He only cocked his head at me.

The group continued on past the crashed chopper and over the country side. Eventually, we did find a highway, completely abandoned. Not even a single zombie on it, dead or…err…undead. Only tons of cars.

I quipped, "Follow the un-bloodied road."

Salt Lick chuckled at me. "Good one, Chris."

Detour nodded, "I agree! Man that was a good twist."

I shrugged, "Nice to know you guys weren't sheltered from the classics."

Chloe replied, "Of course not. We are…well were…like you. Humans, until bitten. Scar is the leader of this pack."

I rolled my eyes, "Are we like werewolves?"

Detour answered, "Oh hell yeah! Hairless, blood-thirsty, deadly werewolves!"

Scar told me, "I was one of the first to be infected. The Hunter that infected me was Hunter X. The very first Hunter infected by a bite. Hunter X was the strongest Special Infected. That's how I gained these additional powers. And when I bit you…"

"…I inherit your extra powers, which makes me a one-of-a-kind Hunter. I get it." I finished, "To perfectly honest, I don't feel any different. A little springier, but nothing much besides that. It was the transformation that was painful."

All of a sudden, my arm was enflamed in pain a second after a crackle of firing assault rifle echoed through the air. I screeched as I grabbed my arm, applying pressure on the wound. Scar tackled me into the bushes and snarled, "Get down! Survivor attack!"

It was a group of three humans. Two girls and one boy. The guy was wearing a Colts football jersey and baggy jeans with hiking boots. He pumped his fist in the air and shouted, "Yes! Nailed it!"

One of the girls had her hands all over him, swooning, "Oh Jack. You're so awesome!" This girl had a mini skirt and spaghetti-strap top and high heels.

The last girl whose outfit screamed 'Goth' scowled at the couple, "Get a fucking room, you two!"

The girly-girl hissed, "Shut up, Lucy!"

The Goth hissed back, "Suck it, Amy!"

As the two girls argued, Detour, Salt Lick and Chloe scattered on the road, away from the survivors. Salt Lick coughed and shouted, "Scar! Your orders!"

Scar stood up and commanded, "Salt Lick! Take out Goth chick! Detour! Ride the slut into Chloe! Chris and I will take out the jock! On my signal!"

The other zombies nodded as they took their attack positions. I shouted at Scar, "Are you crazy! I've been shot!"

Scar looked at me with a leader's calmness and replied, "Look at your wound again."

I removed my hand and rolled up my torn sleeve. I gasped to see my gunshot injury was nonexistent. "How…"

Scar answered, "Regeneration. Heals wounds incredibly fast. Blood will still be noticeable."

I nodded, a grin spreading across my face. Maybe these new powers can work to my advantage. Where was regeneration when I fell off the fucking roller coaster? Or when Nancy scratched me to death? It would've been nice to have that power. But now I know why I could hardly kill Scar in the first place. Especially after Nick pumped him full of Assault rifle ammo at the park.

Scar noticed I was deep in thought, so he snapped his fingers in front of my face and barked, "Snap out of it!"

I blinked and cleared my mind of all of my recent thoughts. "Ok! What now?"

He gave me a toothy grin and responded, "Time to earn your first human kill!"

My grin disappeared rather fast. Scar punched me in the shoulder and hissed, "Pay attention! I'll hold the jock long enough for you to kill him. Will you pounce or s and s?"

"What and huh?" I asked helplessly confused.

The lead Hunter rolled his eye sockets and explained, "Stand and scratch."

"Oh! Ummm…pounce?" I answered uncertainly.

Scar nodded, "Very well. Get ready!" He focused his attention on the group. I began to feel nervous about my kill. Me? Kill a human? I don't know if I can. I'm still human inside. Suddenly, Scar barked while throwing his claw into the air, "Now!"

Salt Lick snared the Goth girl with his tongue from behind a UPS truck. "What the fuck?" The girl hissed, "Jack! Amy! Tongue thing on me!"

Amy turned around and saw her friend being dragged away. As soon as her Hunting rifle was up, Detour cackled and leaped onto her shoulders. "Ahhh! I'm being raped!" she screamed. The Jockey began laughing as he steered her into an abandoned school bus, where Chloe was waiting.

"Heh heh! Chloe! Look what I've got!" Detour belted out as Amy bumped into Chloe's left side. Chloe screamed and raised her claws into the air. The Jockey hopped off his victim's shoulders and cackled, "Let her have it, Chloe!"

Chloe didn't answer. She only winked at her Jockey friend and began tearing the girl to bloody shreds. Her screams sliced through the sound barrier as the witch ripped her apart. Chloe tore her belly open, having her intestines spill all over the aisle on the blood-stained floor. Detour watched, giggling at the gore. The screams began losing strength as Amy did her best to stay alive. Chloe grabbed her neck and snarled, "Bye, bitch!" With a quick slit, her throat erupted with blood, silencing her forever. The witch let her body go limp onto the floor.

Detour began hopping up and down, full of energy. "Nice kill, Chloe!"

She smiled at the hyper-active Jockey and replied, "Thanks Detour." They high-fived over the kill before leaving the bloody bus.

Salt Lick had the Goth girl, Lucy in his grip, scratching her with his claws. She struggled to get away but his tongue was too strong to break. "Nice try, baby, but you are mine!" he snickered. All she heard was his wheezing and coughing.

"Jack! Help!" she screamed. Salt Lick covered her mouth with his hand to muffle her cries for help.

"Shhh. You don't wanta ruin this moment with interruptions", he soothed. She began crying, feeling how close the Smoker was to her. "Don't cry, my darling. It'll be over soon." He grinned evilly as he saw Scar scamper through the bushes towards the confused jock.

Jack saw Scar and he snarled, "Die, you hooded bastard!" He fired at the lead Hunter, who dodged the bullets without a problem. Jack failed to notice me, while he tried to shoot Scar. I hopped out of the bushes and stared at my target. Lazerlemon hopped out of my pocket and hid in the shadows to stay safe. My heart was going a mile a minute with adrenaline pumping through my veins. I have to kill a human. One of my own kind. With my bare hands.

Scar shouted at me, "Chris! Attack now!"

On pure adrenaline, I growled and ran into the fight. Jack saw me in the corner of his eye and swung his gun in my direction. Panicked, I leaped into the air over my target and ran behind a black Hummer. I flatted my body against the car and began panting. "How did Bill survive Nam? A gun in the face is enough to make me panic!" I whimpered to myself. Wait. My Magnum! That's my key out of this! I drew it out of its holster and ran behind Jack. I grabbed his collar and cocked the powerful pistol next to his head. He gulped as he dropped his Assault rifle. Scar stopped hopping around and saw me holding my weapon to his head.

He sighed with disappointment and commanded, "Put the Magnum down and kill him Hunter-style!"

I barked back, "I panicked! I can't do this! I'm a human inside!"

He hissed, "You're a fucking Hunter! Learn to fight like one! You've killed enough of us to know how we fight!"

I shook my head, "This is fucking crazy!"

Salt Lick heard the argument and sighed, "Damn. I have to cut this short. I wish I could play with you a little longer." He snapped the girl's neck and let her fall to the ground. He loosened his tongue and began walking towards the barking voices. He saw me holding the Desert Eagle to the jock's head, hyperventilating.

Scar caught sight of his Smoker comrade, so he gave him some sort of signal I didn't recognize. Suddenly, his tongue wrapped around my hand and around my firearm. I yelped as I let go of my weapon. Salt Lick snapped his tongue back and took my Magnum into his right hand.

Since I'm unarmed now, Jack drove his elbow into my stomach, causing my grip on him to disappear. I staggered backwards, holding my aching stomach, growling in pain. Jack upper-cutted my jaw and kick me in the knees, forcing me down to the asphalt. Scar, Salt Lick and Lazerlemon watched this torture. Lazerlemon whimpered, clearly upset that I'm getting wailed on. Scar crossed his arms over his chest and sighed in disappointment. "She needs to learn", he thought to himself, "Experience is the best teacher."

He began kicking me in the stomach repeatedly, snarling, "Stupid zombies! You made my life a living hell!" In my heart, I felt for him. I led a good enough life until this shit hit the fan. I lost everything. I lay on the ground, whimpering like an injured dog. He scoffed as he picked up his Assault rifle again and hissed, "Time to finish you fuckers off!" I thought he was talking to me. But I was wrong; he was aiming at Scar and Salt Lick!

I growled as I struggled to stand up. "Get away from them!" I bellowed at the human. Lazerlemon 'meeped' with happiness as he saw me stand up. The jock saw me and before he could raise his gun at me, I pounced him in anger. "You will die by my hand! Consider it a release from this hell!" I ignored the horror in his eyes as I clawed his heart out of his ribcage. He began to breathe labouredly, so I decided to end it. Using my sharpened claws, I punctured his lungs as if they were balloons. His eyes rolled back and his head hit the pavement.

I stood up, my claws soaked with blood and mucus. Scar grinned with satisfaction. Detour and Chloe joined us and saw the corpse of the jock. "Damn. Brutal kill", Detour commented.

Chloe nodded, "Not bad. Those claw marks are Hunter claws and judging by the brutality, this looks like a Scar kill."

Scar shook his head, "Nope. It wasn't me who killed him."

Everyone looked at me. I nodded as I wiped my claws on his jeans. Chloe shook some of the blood off her claws and said, "I'm quite impressed. Good kill…for a rookie."

I scoffed, "I'm not a rookie. I killed many zombies in this apocalypse."

She nodded, "Yes. I know. But this is your first human kill right?"

I looked down on the guy and sighed, "Hey. My first human kill. Now I truly feel…evil. I may be a con artist, but even I never would've killed anyone like that."

Scar took my side and replied, "It's survival of the fittest. We are at war with our former kind. In order to live, we must kill. All's fair in love and war, Chris."

I sighed as I stared at my reflection in the jock's blood. "I know. No love and all war."

We made it to the stage by nightfall. I hopped on and sighed at all of the corpses that littered it. Nearby, I saw the dead Tank that got fried by a Molotov. I saw the mic and in good humor, walked up to it and did my best Southern accent. "Every lady goes crazy when her daddy's not around!" Detour laughed at my accent.

Salt Lick approached the sound system and turned on the music. When it blared through the speakers, I leaped out of my skin. Lazerlemon placed his claws in his ears since the music was so loud. I rolled my eyes and said, "That's the Midnight Riders for ya."

Chloe shoved Salt Lick out of the way and turned the music off. "That's way too loud."

I chuckled, "That's why we used it to signal the helicopter."

Salt Lick asked, "Are you good with electronics?"

I walked up to the system and replied, "It's a hidden talent. What do you need?"

He pointed to an input dock and said, "I've seen something like that before, but I can't remember what goes into it."

It took me a few seconds to think and pull my IPod out of my pocket. I connected it to the dock, rewired the speakers, adjusted the volume and voila. My IPod can be played on the stage speakers. Detour beamed, "Play us a good song!"

I nodded and played "Another F.U Song" by Reel Big Fish. One of the funniest songs I've heard in my life.

_Hey kids. It's time to use the "f" word._

_Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck_

_Living!_

_Fuck dying_

_Fuck laughing_

_Fuck crying_

_Fuck this song_

_But mostly fuck you_

_Fuck loving and friends_

_Fuck following trends_

_Fuck this song_

_Can't wait til it ends_

_Fuck everything, but fuck you the most_

_Fuck everyone, but fuck you the most_

_With a big rusty pole or a splintery post_

_Yeah, fuck you the most. Fuck you._

_Fuck old school_

_Fuck new school_

_Fuck not cool_

_Fuck too cool_

_Fuck giving ironically lame_

_Fuck giving advice_

_Fuck trying to be nice_

_Fuck you and you know who you are_

_Fuck everything, but fuck you the most_

_Fuck everyone, but fuck you the most_

_With a big rusty pole or a splintery post_

_Yeah, fuck you the most. Fuck you_

_Fuck you_

_Fuck you_

_Fuck you_

_Fuck you_

_Fuck you_

_Fuck you_

_Fuck yoooooouu_

_Fuck yoooooooouuuu_

_Fuck you!_

_Fuck yeah! Fuck you!_

_Fuck you. _

We all began laughing when the song finished. Scar hopped onto the stage and asked, "What's so funny?"

Salt Lick replied, "The song that Chris played on her IPod. It's fucking funny!"

Scar didn't find it amusing. "Enough. Get some sleep. We need to scope this amusement park tomorrow." The others nodded as they left the stage to find a place to sleep. Once Salt Lick, Chloe and Detour were gone, Scar turned his head towards me. "Can we talk?"

I let Lazerlemon out of my pocket and replied, "Yeah. Shoot."

He stood up and walked up to me. "What happened back there?"

I cocked my eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

He explained, "You let that guy beat you up, but when he aimed at us, you got brutal. What happened there?"

I replied as I looked up at the bleachers and a flashback went through my mind, "You may be a strict Hunter, Scar, but you're right about our survival. I can almost consider you a brother to me."

Scar awkwardly scratched his neck and cleared his throat. "That makes sense", he answered.

I continued, "Besides, I lost my family for doing nothing. I refuse to do that again. That's why I let the others board the helicopter while I fought off the commons. I did it for my friends."

He nodded in understanding. "So, to protect us, you went bat-shit crazy on the guy."

I shrugged, "You can look at it that way if you want."

He stuffed his claws into his pockets and said, "Ok then. Get some sleep. You fought through this park. You're leading the way on tomorrow's patrol."

I stuttered, "I'm what? I'm leading? I can't."

Scar replied, "I saw you leading your team through the mill."

I scoffed, "I'm no leader! Besides, I was in front for about five seconds before…" my heart began to ache.

Scar finished, "…_he_ pushed you behind him. I know. I watched. You miss him."

"You know what? Fuck off! I don't mean to be reminded of what I had!" I leaped onto a scaffold and curled up on the top. I heard Scar sigh and hop away. Lazerlemon climbed up the scaffold and sat in front of my nose. "I miss him so much, Lazerlemon. I miss all of them."

He said, "…meep…Al…meep…ex."

I looked at him with wide eyes. "Say that again."

He cocked his head and said, "El…meep…lis."

I rolled my eyes, "Alex and Ellis. Who else, buddy?"

He tried to talk, "She…meep…ila! Ro…eep…ch…mee…elle! C…oach! Nick!"

I grinned as I petted the growing fuzz ball on the head. "That's a good pup. Our old team. Can you say my name?"

He nodded and spoke in a high, cute voice, "Chris!"

I nodded, "That's right. You're very smart, Lazerlemon. I'm glad you're here to keep me company." He purred and curled up beside my face. I closed my eyes and his purring lulled me to sleep.

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Hey, guys!" Dwayne ran into the team's tent. Nick was resting on his bed, nursing a headache. Ellis and Sheila were on the other side of the tent, flirting and hitting each other. Coach was helping Alex how to aim better. Ro was asleep.

Nick looked up and groaned, "What now, Dwayne? Is Jock looking to kick my ass?"

The soldier looked towards Nick and shook his head, "No. The chopper picked up new survivors!"

This news sparked everyone's attention. The y all looked up and Dwayne ushered towards the opening. "Come on, guys! Let's go meet them!"

Everyone sprang to their feet. Well, everyone except Nick. Ellis asked him, "Ain't ya comin', Nick?"

He answered, "No. I'm not in the mood to meet new people."

Coach stormed up to Nick's bed and flipped the mattress over. Nick let out a very creative string of swears, while Coach barked, "Come on, Nick. Don't be a stick in the mud. Let's meet our new team mates."

Nick knocked the mattress off of his body and hissed, "Thanks, Coach. First, my heart hurt. A few minutes ago, my head hurt and now, my right side hurts!"

Coach didn't bother snapping back at him; he has been through a lot lately. The "Sarge" can't stand the con man during training, Jock does his best to hurt him, and now with me gone, he hardly has anyone to relate to. Despite his bad luck, he goes on. Regardless, Nick stood up and walked out of the tent with the group, ready to meet the new rookies.

"Oh my God! Zoey! Louis! Francis!" Ellis screamed as the new survivors approached them. Zoey smiled as Ellis came running up to her and embraced her. Sheila gasped a little. Alex growled.

She replied as she embraced back, "Hey, Ellis! It's been awhile since Rayford." She pulled away and addressed the others with equal enthusiasm, "Hey, Coach, Rochelle and of course, Nick."

They approached her and were happy to see them again. Nick was still heavy-hearted, so he was less enthusiastic about meeting them again. Especially when Francis opened his mouth to talk. "Long time no see, suit."

Nick growled lowly, "Go to Hell, grease ball."

Francis understands that they "bantered" in the past, but even the biker knows that Nick's new snarky attitude was serious. Francis walked over to Ro and asked, "Is he ok?"

She blushed, forgetting about Francis. She answered his question, "He lost someone dear to him."

Francis walked back to Nick and slapped a powerful hand on his shoulder, "We all have lost someone. My group lost Bill. Who did you lose?"

Sheila decided to save Nick and quickly pulled Francis away. "Hi! My name is Sheila! Are you the biker dude that Ellis mentioned before?"

Francis cocked an eyebrow and glared at Ellis, "Biker dude, huh? In that case, yes I am. I'm Francis."

Zoey saw Alex and immediately blushed. "I thought you were dead."

He scoffed, "Hell no. I needed to find you."

Ellis was a tad confused. "You two know each other?"

Zoey turned to the redneck and explained, "We went to the same college before the infection broke out."

Alex wrapped his arm around Zoey's shoulders and said, "Hell yeah, bro! We're together."

Zoey was the shocked one. "Hold on. You two are brothers?" Both of them nodded. She smiled, "Small world, huh? I thought Alex went off to do something stupid. Ellis, I knew you'd be fine. At least you had three other people looking out for you."

Ellis nodded, "Yeah! Then we were saved by Chris and my girl, Sheila!" Almost on cue, Sheila walked beside Ellis and raised her hand to her. Zoey smiled at her.

She quipped, "What happened between us, Ellis?" Ellis chuckled as Sheila let Zoey's hand go.

Alex got defensive. "What did you do?" he growled.

Ellis laughed as Zoey answered for him, "Nothing, Alex. It was a joke. Francis, Louis and I helped Coach, Rochelle, Nick and Ellis get out of Rayford. That's all."

Sheila snickered, "You know, Ellis, if Chris was here, she would've said something about jealousy."

Ellis nodded sadly, "She would've. Damn straight."

While Alex, Ellis, Sheila and Zoey were caught in conversation, Coach, Ro, Louis, and Francis talked for a while.

Louis beamed, "It's so good to see you guys are alive."

Coach replied, "Glad to see your group survived too!"

Ro asked, "What happened? I mean after we escaped Rayford thanks to you guys."

Louis explained, "We fought as well as we could until we had to get down from the bridge. We made it to…possibly to Miami before the copter got us."

Francis huffed, "We could've fought those zombies too, but Zoey and Louis voted to go."

Ro asked, "What happened to your vest?"

He directed his attention to her and answered, "Those CEDA jackasses took it after they made us take a chemical bath. I hate those things."

Rochelle began giggling, "Oh that's right. I forgot about that."

Louis asked, "How long have you guys been here?"

Coach replied, "Only a few days. Apparently, we're soldiers now."

Louis asked for clarification, "How so?"

Rochelle stepped in, "We're being trained to become zombie-slaying machines so we can get thrusted back into Hell and wiping them out. Or as Francis would call them…vampires."

Francis smiled and gave a chuckle. "I don't hate your sense of humor, Ro."

She blushed, "Good to know, Francis."

Francis asked, "Hey, who did your gambling pal lose?"

Coach and Ro gave each other sad glances. She replied, "A female con artist named Chris. He was in love with her. She sacrificed herself by letting the helicopter take off while she led zombies away from it."

Louis sighed and said, "I'm so sorry. We know how he feels."

Coach added, "It was a hard blow for all of us. Nick's taking it harder than anyone. We want to help, but he just won't let us."

Francis replied, "I think Colonel Sanders needs a kick in the ass and get his act together. We lost a dear friend too. It's not the end of the world. With any luck, she and Bill are watching down on us."

Coach, Ro and Louis went wide-eyed over the biker's little speech. "Wow, Francis. I never thought you'd say something like that", Louis commented.

Nick watched the groups talk. He wasn't in the right mind to talk without snapping at someone. He indeed missed me…terribly. This group of survivors is a blast from the past and he was happy for them to make it out of that hellhole. He also remembered that they too lost a member: Bill. Nick even recalls seeing his dead body against one of the bridge generators. But he doesn't think they understand his true pain. He _loved_ me as a girlfriend or even a wife. Bill was beloved as a team mate and friend.

Nick sighed in sadness as he formed couples in his head. Alex and Zoey knew each other in college. He remembers Ellis and him teasing Ro about liking Francis. And lastly, of course are Sheila and Ellis. The most obvious couple. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to talk to someone who will stop and listen to him.

Dwayne came walking up to Nick, seeing that he was the black sheep among a white herd. (Lol! My own joke. Sorry it was bad.) "Hey. Are you ok, Nick? On a lookout for Jock?"

Nick scoffed, "Jock can go suck a cold one. I don't care about him."

Dwayne replied, "That's a new one, Nick. Did you meet…"

"Yeah. I've met them before", he interrupted.

Dwayne easily sensed he was upset. "Are you ok, buddy?"

Nick cocked an eyebrow at the soldier when he called him "buddy". "No. I'm not ok, 'pal'. I see these couples before me and I fear the worst."

Dwayne nodded and patted his back, "That's why Sarge is separating the genders into two tents. The guys are getting the bigger tent and the girls are getting moved into the smaller one."

Nick sighed, but nodded regardless. At least it solved his problem about the couples. But still, he wasn't feeling right. He placed his head in his hands and groaned in pain.

Dwayne commended, "You look pale. You should go lay down."

Nick replied sarcastically, "Yeah. Swell idea, Dwayne." The soldier ignored his tone, knowing he was sick and moody. Nick stood up and walked back to the tent, needing a long and sweet nap. He just fears that I might appear in his dreams. My presence will make him feel worse.

**Salt Lick: Poor con artist.**

**Francis: His name is Nick, but he goes by 'Colonel Sanders' and 'Suit.'**

**Salt Lick: Ok…hey five more reviews and Chapter 4 will be posted up!**

**Francis: I hate waiting for reviews! You people better give us reviews!**

**Salt Lick: Relax, Francis…or grease ball.**

**Francis: I also hate Smokers! **


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 4: All I Need is to Have a Good Time**_

I woke up, stiff as a board. Lazerlemon stretched his little furry body and yawned. I groaned as I stood up and cracked my back. "Next time we pass a safe room, I'm stealing its couch."

Lazerlemon began giggling. I smirked at the fluff ball and opened my pocket for him. Instead of hopping in, he declined. I shrugged as I hopped down like a cat and landed on my feet. "Huh. That was actually easy to do. I'll be damned." Lazerlemon followed my movements and landed right beside me. I looked down on him and said, "You catch on quick, Lazerlemon. I'm impressed."

He pointed at me and said, "Chris."

I chuckled and nodded. "Yes. I'm Chris the Hunter."

He shook his furry head and replied, "Hunter hunter. Chris!"

I sighed and responded, "I was. But now, I'm a Hunter. I hope I can become human again, but what are the odds?"

He tilted his head and meeped. I rolled my eyes and ushered the little pup to follow me out of stadium. To my surprise, he's getting a lot faster and his leaps are getting longer. I guess he's growing up. Well, at least he doesn't have to hitch rides in my hoodie pocket anymore.

Just outside the stadium, Chloe was waiting, trying to cry. However, when we approached, she sprang up with a big smile on her face and shouted, "Good morning, Chris! And little Lazerlemon!"

He began flapping his stubby arms with joy and shouted, "Chloe!"

She gasped and began squealing, "He just said my name! Oh my God that's soooo cute!"

I chuckled, "Yeah. He's like a little kid. Well, he's a pup. I better watch what I say or he may repeat it."

Out of nowhere, Detour grinned and hopped onto my shoulders. He began cackling as he rode me around the witch. My 'survivor' self was in control of my mouth. I was snarling, "Get this fucking Jockey out of me!"

Detour hopped off, laughing hysterically. "I got you good, Chris!"

I growled, "That wasn't funny! I hate being attacked by Jockeys, Smokers, Chargers…hell I hate getting attacked by anything!"

Chloe and Detour chuckled light-heartedly and Chloe spoke, "Sounds to me that you still think like a survivor."

Detour added, "You still swear like one too!"

I scoffed, "I'm a swearer. I was born one."

Lazerlemon repeated my words, "Fucking Jockey."

I face-palmed myself and groaned with embarrassment. I thought, "Me and my big mouth."

Detour fell backwards, cackling at what the pup said. "Oh man! My sides are splitting! Oh man! Oh man!"

Chloe began laughing as well, but not as much or as hard as the crazy Jockey. "Nice going, Chris. Very motherly."

I groaned, "I'm no mother. Never will be."

Chloe shrugged, "You're a mother to Lazerlemon."

I replied, "In a way, I guess I am. But if I did have a son, I wouldn't name him 'Lazerlemon'. That was Alex's name for him."

Detour stopped his cackling fit long enough to ask, "Which one was Alex? The big dude or the redneck?"

I answered, "The youngest of us. He was the redneck with the broken butterfly knife."

Chloe asked, "Then who is the big dude?"

I explained, "That's Coach. We never learned his first name, but he wanted us to call him that. Enough survivor talk. They're long gone and they're not that stupid to come back. They have reason to."

Chloe pondered, "If they're true friends, then wouldn't they want to search for a fallen comrade?"

I scoffed, "They think I'm dead! I expected to die! Not become a blood-thirsty Hunter!"

Chloe was taken aback by my sudden tone. Realizing that I snapped at her, I sighed and continued, "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just a tender subject for me. That's all. Where's Salt Lick and Scar?"

Detour answered, "Scar went back to the sugar mill and Salt Lick is waiting for us outside the stadium gates."

I nodded and grumbled, "I guess Scar wasn't kidding when he said that I'm leading the patrol."

Chloe stood up and replied, "Nope. Scar is a great leader and he sees a lot of him in you. He told me."

I asked, "Whatever. His excuse was that I knew the park. It's pretty straight forward."

Detour snickered, "Then lead the way, Chris."

I rolled my eyes and began walking to the gates. Salt Lick was leaning against the scaffolding, smoking a cigarette. He looked up and scowled, "What took you guys so long? I'm on my last cig!"

I chuckled, "I didn't know you smoked. Yet again, you are a Smoker."

He cocked an eyebrow and replied, "If I became a Tank, a Jockey or even a Fallen, I would be smoking anyway. Strangely, I think I'm one of the only Smokers that actually smoke cigs."

Detour laughed, "I can't image you as a Jockey, my friend. I just can't."

I asked, "What's a Fallen? Like from 'Transformers' or something else?"

Salt Lick asked, "You saw that movie? Did you like it?"

I scoffed, "It was ok. But I'm a sucker for explosions and massive fights, so yeah I like it."

Chloe explained, "The Fallen we know isn't a robot. It's a Fallen Survivor. A different kind of Infected. Survivors that aren't immune to bites, like you, turn into Fallens."

I nodded, "That makes sense. But how come I never ran into one when I was a survivor?"

Detour replied, "That's because all of them are in Rayford. They think they're safe in one city. Poor suckers. There's no cure."

I snapped at the Jockey, "Never diss modern science, Detour! You don't know that! Maybe CEDA is creating a cure right now! Never give up hope!"

"Don't get her started, Detour!" Chloe hissed at her Jockey comrade.

He cowered, "I'm sorry!"

"Enough of this", Salt Lick growled as he stomped his cigarette into the dirt, "Chris. Lead the patrol."

I nodded. Lazerlemon began hopping forward an open picnic area. I leaped in front of the little guy and took the lead. He huffed and ruffled his tufts of fur. I chuckled as I lead the group to the barns. The rotting smell of decaying flesh filled the air, causing me to retch and cough. Poor animals.

"I don't remember smelling the dead animals first time round. This is rank!" I complained.

Salt Lick asked, "What do you remember here?"

I talked as I rushed through the barns, "I remember falling off the Screamin' Oak. That hurt like a bitch. I also remember trekking through the Tunnel of Love and hyperventilating."

Detour asked with a smirk, "Why did you hyperventilate?" I turned my head and growled menacingly at the curious Jockey. His smirk vanished within seconds. Chloe hit him with her claw, be careful not to slice him, but inflict pain on him. "Ow! Ok, I get it!"

Once we got out of the barns, I took a deep breath of stale, bloody air. It was much better than coup-up decaying air. We trekked into the safe room and I huffed in disappointment. There's no couch in there! Lazerlemon giggled at me. I just shrugged and pushed the barricade that we set up. Lazerlemon hopped through the window and said, "Screamin' Oak."

I stopped pushing and looked out the window. The puff ball was right; the Screamin' Oak was right outside. I forgot how close it was to this safe room. I sighed at the memory of being snared off the track. I shook my head clear and gave the barricade one last push away from the door. Everything was moved to the side and the door was now accessible.

Chloe opened the door and we walked out. I noticed that the car was back to its original place on the track. I guess it resets itself after a certain amount of time. Or someone reset it after we used it. Regardless of how it happened, it's back at the beginning.

Detour was getting uneasy again so he asked, "Is your bet still standing, Chris?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Wh…"

He shouted, "Last one to the switch is a rotten human!" He bolted to the covered bridge, cackling. I rolled my eyes as I bolted after the Jockey. I, of course was running on my hind legs, not using my arms at all to add to my speed. Detour looked behind him and cackled. "You'll never beat me that way, Chris!"

I growled, realizing that he was right. I let my upper body fall forward onto my claws and began running on all fours. I felt incredibly awkward about it to be perfectly honest. However, my speed increased dramatically because of it. My eyes narrowed and I sprung forward and pretended that I was leaping on the bridge debris. I was just focusing on each moment after the next. It took me about three seconds to leap over Detour and leap up the steep incline on the track. I zipped along the track as if I was a cheetah. When I saw the switch to activate the ride, I made a long leap for my target.

As I did, I felt time itself freeze in place as my body sailed through the air in slow motion. My claws were outstretched, ready to grab anything. I felt different at that moment. I can't explain what, but it felt like I have evolved, for a lack of a better term. As a human, I can't leap like this or run that fast. At that moment, my brain finally accepted the fact that I am human no more. I'm a Hunter.

The landing was harsher than I attended. As my claws sank into the ground, I yelped in surprise. I looked past my shoulder and my eyes widened to see just how far I leapt into the air. I whistled in amazement of my own achievement. Detour came into my view and shortly after him were the others. He hopped down and huffed, "God damn! How…did you run so…fast?"

I stood up and shrugged, "I don't know. I did a little track in high school and I did car hopping in my early con artist years."

Salt Lick wheezed, "Why did you do car hopping?"

I darted my eyes innocently and replied, "Let's just say I was very popular with the fuzz in those years."

The Smoker muttered, "The fuzz? Oh the police. I get it now."

I nodded, "Yeah. The police. Hopping the cars in New Orleans was fun as hell. Man." I zoned out for a minute, leaving my comrades in the dark. Chloe looked at Salt Lick, who shrugged his scrawny shoulders.

Detour cocked an eyebrow as Lazerlemon hopped next to him and said, "Fucking Jockey." Detour rolled his eyes and smirked, knowing that the pup didn't mean it. He heard me say it, so he's trying to use it.

Finally, I blinked out of my zoned-out state and cracked my fingers. "Sorry about zoning out there. I have an urge to go car hopping, but later. Oh Detour, you owe me five bucks."

The Jockey growled, "You'll get it when we find more survivors and loot them."

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Just like 'Assassin's Creed 2'. Alright then. Let's move out."

Lazerlemon 'meeped' and hopped into the coaster's car. I looked at the fluff ball and groaned, "Come on. We don't have time for this." He began whimpering like a real puppy, which made me feel bad. When my siblings were alive, I would cave in to their begging and sad faces. I'll admit I've developed a soft spot for the pup, so it was very hard to say 'no.' I groaned long and loud, while doing my best to avoid saying 'ok.' "Ok. Only one ride." I mentally slapped myself in the head. I'm a big softie deep down. Just like Nick.

Lazerlemon shouted, "Yayyy!" I grinned as my claw hovered over the button.

I turned my head to my comrades and declared, "Last ride of the night. Your choice." Everyone scrambled into the cart. Salt Lick sat in the front with Lazerlemon, while Detour and Chloe took the second bench. I hit the button and leaped onto the cart before it took off. The ride was faster than I thought, while it was as short as I intended. My comrades were hollering in joy as they threw their arms in the air. The wind made my hood blow off, letting the wind slice through my dirty blonde hair. While I howled into the air, I realized I was having fun! I love roller coasters, unlike a certain con artist I knew.

At the end of the ride, we all climbed out, hooting and hollering like a bunch of crazed teenagers on a senior field trip. I ran my claws through my hair and realized how tangled and messy it was. "Damn. My hair hasn't seen a brush in a while." I tugged my hair back into my hoodie and pulled my hood back up to shield my scar and my eyes. Lazerlemon hopped out, all wind-whipped from the ride. I laughed as I petted the pup on the head. He purred and I commanded, "Alright. No more goofin' around. Let's go."

I led the team off the Screamin' Oak and into the Tunnel of Love. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I always hated the Tunnel of Love. Nick or not, I've always hated it, thanks to my chuckle nuts of an ex, Marshall. I was the first to get out of that ride. The look on my comrades' faces told me that they needed an explanation. I sighed and explained, "I just have bad memories of the Tunnel of Love. That's all you need to know." Thankfully, they didn't question me any further. I thought I explained myself pretty well.

Last major attraction was Kiddie Land. I chuckled at the mere thought of Ellis getting so giddy over this place. This place was swarmed in zombie clowns. Despite the fact that I'm a Hunter, my skin shivered at the thought of them attacking me. I cautiously made my way pass them without setting them off. Thank you, movie directors! I'm in Zombieland!

By the time we reached the entrance gate, I refused to go any further. I remember beyond the gates was the high way to the Motel black, zombie-fied heart cried at the memory of meeting my zombie-slaying friends. At least they survived. I sighed and cleared my mind of everything, except for the mission.

Salt Lick noticed how quiet I got, so he took my side, "Are you ok, Chris?"

I snapped, "Of course I am! Scar said to scout the park! He said nothing beyond it!"

He raised his hands in defense and replied, "Jeez, Chris. I was just asking a question. No need to snap."

I sighed and cursed in my head, "Christ, bitch. Don't snap at him for asking about your welfare. Control your emotions better!"

Detour stretched his arched spine and said, "Mission accomplished! No survivors, no disturbances, and no military! Plus, we rode the Screamin' Oak and walked through the Tunnel of Love. I say a day well spent."

Chloe nodded, "I agree. But we should get some sleep. I'm sure Scar has more missions in the morning. Possibly going past the entrance gate."

I gulped at the mere thought of going to the Motel 6. I'd break down like a 30 year-old truck! I commanded quickly, changing the subject, "Get some shut-eye. Today was a busy day."

They shrugged and my group dispersed, leaving me and Lazerlemon alone at the entrance. He looked beyond the gate and then back at me. He tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Why Chris sad?"

I smiled and replied, "Old memories coming back to me. That's all Lazerlemon. Come on. Get into the trailer safe room. We need our sleep." He nodded and hopped into the trailer. I followed the pup inside and hopped onto the couch. I curled up on it and thought of what Nick said on the night we first met: "The couch is more comfortable than the floor." I smiled at that memory. At least at that time, Nick and I were rivals to each other. Rivals turned partners. Enemies turned friends. I yawned and rest my head on the arm of the couch, letting sleep overcome me. Lazerlemon decided that he was going to hop around for awhile. (We did pass by the cotton candy machine I flew into.) He had to get the sugar rush to settle down. It took him about five minutes of non-stop leaping for him to fall face first into a deep sleep. He was out in two seconds flat.

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Come on, guys! Where are you taking me?" Nick hissed impatiently as he stared out the Hummer's window. Inside the Hummer with him were Francis, Louis, Ellis, Alex, and Coach at the wheel.

Francis growled, "We can't tell you! It's a surprise!" Nick groaned as he leaned back into his seat.

The surviving men are out to finally cheer Nick out of his "gloom and doom" attitude lately. They decided to take him somewhere where he'll feel like his old self again. Dwayne was able to convince the Sarge that Nick would be a lot friendlier if Nick had a break and let him relax a little. Sarge allowed them to take the day off. Since the girl didn't like doing what Nick is infamous for, they decided to stay at the base and relax a bit.

So, the boys borrowed the army's black Hummer and drove to places unknown. Well, unknown to Nick anyway. He closed his eyes and let the road trip lull him to sleep. He hardly got enough sleep the past few nights and this fact is startling to all of his friends. They want the old Nick back. Sadly, his spirit was left back in New Orleans, with me.

About thirty minutes later, Ellis whacked the sleeping man's shoulder. "Nick! We're here man!"

Nick groaned in his sleep and muttered, "Good dream. Leave me alone."

Francis barked close to his ear, "Wake the hell up!"

Nick's eyes shot open and his position straightened. He growled, "You're so lucky I don't have a gun with me, grease ball."

Coach called from the driver's seat, "Relax Nick. We're here to cheer you up. And this place will help us out with that." He gestured at the windshield and everyone gasped at the spectacular building towering in the distance. Even Nick was impressed. "Welcome to Foxwoods, y'all."

"Full house!" Nick shouted as he slammed his hand down on the poker table. Five other guys groaned or complained. He grinned as he stood up and wrapped his arms around his winnings. He pulled them towards his end of the table and smiled his crooked, con artist smile. He felt good playing in his element again. He actually began to feel happy.

A few of his opponents ditched the next game to avoid adding to their losing streak. Nick just watched the losers grumble curses under their breath about him. Coach and Louis were nearby, grinning at Nick's happiness. Louis said to Coach, "You did well, Coach. He's got his spring back."

The older man acknowledged him, "Thanks, Louis. He needed to get back into his original 'profession', to put it into lighter terms." Louis laughed as a result.

Since Alex was underage to enter the casino and any of the bars, Ellis and Francis stayed out with him. They didn't seem to mind actually. The three guys began talking about everything from racing to girls. When Alex mentioned Zoey, Francis did get a little protective. Brotherly protective, not boyfriend protective. If Bill was alive, he would be more fatherly protective over her.

Back in the casino, Nick heard a very familiar voice, "Well, well, well! Look who's playing in Foxwoods!"

He looked up and saw a scrawny, tall man with a flashy gold jacket. He had piercing grey eyes and slick black hair covered by a baseball cap. Many rings adorned on his fingers and many gold medallions hung around his neck. Two hot girls had him by his arms as he 'escorted' them to the poker table. Nick cracked a sly grin and replied, "Look who's a pimp. Long time no see, Trevor."

Trevor laughed, "Nick, old boy, it's been too long. Please tell me in advance if you're coming my way?"

Nick cocked his eyebrow challengingly, "So you can set up your extra security and have the cops within minutes?"

Trevor cackled as he sat down, "Come on, slugger. After everything we've been through. Would I do that to a fellow con artist?"

Nick scoffed teasingly, "Yes you would. Remember Vegas?"

Trevor showed off his rings as he grabbed the poker deck, causing the rest of the players to flee the table, leaving Nick alone to play against the pimp. "Come now, Nick. I heard what happened and I'll admit, I'm impressed that you survived the Vegas fire and a zombie apocalypse."

Nick's eyes widened. "You heard about that?"

Trevor began shuffling the deck and nodded, "That's right. A con artist in that Hell. That's admirable."

Nick thought about his life through that zombie-slaying Hell. Trevor continued, "I noticed that your ring is gone. Did you lose it? Did the zombie love of your life get it?"

Nick looked at his poker hand, trying to avoid the question all together. He did his best to think on his next poker move, but all he could think of is my sacrifice. Trevor continued to banter him, "It was a girl wasn't it? No man can stay quieter than you when it comes to women. Did she break your heart nice and clean or did you have to shoot her?"

Coach and Louis heard the pimp talking about Nick and women, who registered in their minds that Trevor was bashing about Chris. They quickly made their way through the crowd in order to get to the poker table. Nick spoke as calmly as possible, "You don't know what I've been through, Trevor. Let's drop this topic and play the game."

Trevor noticed that he was hitting Nick's soft spot. He cackled and said, "No! She played you like a violin and then kicked you to the curb…just like…"

Nick's attempt to stay calm was breaking down very fast. He warned, "Trevor, this is your last warning. Drop the topic now."

Trevor grinned evilly and asked, "Why should I? That's one thing that never changes, Nick. You could never hold on to a woman." Nick's eyes narrowed dangerously as Trevor continued talking, "Same Old Nick: lady-killer and lady-loser!" The con artist's muscles tensed up and his fingers began to crumple his hand. "This girl must have left you for a zombie!" The pimp cackled at his statement. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

In rage, Nick slammed his hand onto the table and lunged at his former friend. Trevor yelped as Nick knocked him down onto the floor. Trevor's girls began screaming and shrilling, causing a panic in the casino. Nick socked his old buddy in the right cheek and snarled, "You don't know shit!"

Trevor kneed him in the chest, causing Nick to huff in pain and loosen his grip. Trevor rolled onto his former partner and hissed, "I know enough about you, Nick! One thing that's sure-fire is that you never change your ways!"

Nick knocked his cap off and grabbed a fistful of hair. "Get the fuck off of me!"

As the two men brawled, Ellis, Francis and Alex noticed a crowd of people rushing into the casino that Nick, Louis and Coach were in. "What the hell is goin' on?" Ellis asked his comrades.

Alex shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe some idiot had too much to drink and got into a…. oh my god it's Nick!"

Francis scoffed, "He was having a good time. I doubt it."

All of a sudden, Trevor goes flying out of the casino and rolled onto a column. Nick was right behind him, red with fury. Coach and Louis were right behind him. The three men were shocked to see their pal in a fight. Alex grinned and replied, "We should have betted on it." Ellis glared at his little brother.

Trevor stood up and kicked Nick in the shin, but Nick was fueled by rage, so it didn't hurt him that much. "You should shut the fuck up! She gave her life for me!" Nick began kicking Trevor in the gut and continued to yell, "She protected me and my real friends until the very end! You never, ever talk trash about her!"

Coach and Francis grabbed Nick's arms and pulled him away from the pimp. Louis, Ellis, and Alex did their best to control the crowd. Trevor scrambled to his feet and spat blood onto the floor. He hissed at the struggling con artist, "If you ever come near this place again, I will have you arrest or killed. Whatever the situation might be." Security finally appeared and Trevor ordered, "Get rid of them. Kick them out of here."

Security grabbed the group of men and literally threw them out of Foxwoods. Francis growled at Nick, "What the hell happened?"

Nick glared at the biker and hissed, "He insulted Chris!"

Ellis, Alex and Coach gasped and immediately understood why Nick got into that fight in the first place. Francis and Louis quickly remembered who I was and nodded sadly. "Sorry, Nick", Louis said.

Nick nodded while his eyes began to look glossy, "I know. I am too."

Coach stood up and helped Nick to his feet and soothed, "She's in a better place right now." Ellis stood up and began to help his brother up onto his feet.

"We all miss her Nick", he replied.

An evil, glossy glare snapped towards the older redneck, "You didn't like her like I did."

Ellis looked down and sadly nodded. "That's true."

The group began walking back to the Hummer and Francis shrugged, "At least one good thing came out of this day off."

Nick huffed, "What is that?"

The biker grinned as he pulled out a giant wad of hundred dollar bills. The other men stared and gasped at Francis's fortune. "My horse won the race. I won about 100,000 dollars."

Alex groaned, "My horse lost? Damn it. I only found ten bucks."

Ellis laughed at his little brother and replied, "When you turn 21, you're allowed to go to Vegas!"

"Sweet! Wait…why not here?" he asked.

Nick scowled, "Because we're forbidden to come back here."

Louis replied, "Oh don't worry Nick. Time heals many wounds. Maybe next time you see Trevor, maybe you two can gamble on friendlier terms."

Alex scoffed, "Screw being banned! I'll come back as RED Spy!"

Ellis cocked his eyebrow at him, "Seriously?"

The guys gave a chuckle at the redneck brothers as they piled into the black Hummer, with Louis at the wheel. Nick took shotgun as the others piled into the back. Ellis groaned, "Thanks, Alex. Now I wanta play Team Fortress 2!"

Nick chuckled a little as the Hummer pulled out of the parking garage and began to drive back to their military outpost. At least Nick got to grab a 100 dollar poker chip as a souvenir of this day. Gambling, an old friend and the first time he was ever thrown out of a casino without being drunk out of his mind. He sighed as he looked out the window, watching Foxwoods shrink into the darkness.

**Chloe: They miss each other terribly.**

**Louis: I know. **

**Chloe: I think he'll be in a big surprise when…**

**Louis: Whoa, whoa, whoa, Chloe. Don't spoil anything! **

**Chloe: Sorry, Louis. Anyway, 5 more reviews for the next chapter!**

**Louis: Nicely done. **

**Alex: Woo hoo!**

***Alex has startled Chloe***

**Louis: Oh boy…Run Alex run!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 5: New Friends and New Challenges**_

_~ I was in this bizarre town called Rayford. For some reason, this town sounded familiar. It looked like any ordinary town I've seen in Florida. I trotted across the draw bridge, which had tire tracks on it. The air was stale and bloody, just like the world I was living in. I sighed as I walked into an intersection and looked around. Bodies and blood littered the streets, causing me to think, "More survivors?"_

_A hand grasped my shoulder, causing me to leap forward startled. I spun around and snarled at my attacker. My eyes bugged out of my head realizing that my attacker was ghostly Bill. I placed my claw against my heart and began breathing heavily. "Bill. You startled me out of my decaying skin."_

_He smirked, "Sorry, Chris. I didn't mean too. To be honest, I'm glad to see you are still alive."_

_I cocked my eyebrow and replied, "Glad that I'm…" my tone grew hostile, thanks to my transformation, "I'm a fucking zombie, Bill! You said that I was supposed to fucking die on the bridge!"_

_Bill took a step back, avoiding getting close to me in the mood I was in. "I'm sorry, Christina. I expected you to die, but once again, Fate had other plans for you."_

_I snarled, "Quit calling me Christina! I'm a Hunter for fuck's sake! I'm no longer human, Bill! Look at me!" I stood up on my hind legs and snapped my arms to the sides as if to give a hug. "I kill other survivors in order to survive. I kill humans, Bill. I gotta! If not, I'll get killed."_

_Bill lit a cigarette and began puffing. "I'm sorry that this happened to you, but I'm not mad that you must kill humans to survive. I understand that. I had to kill Vietcongs in the war just to stay alive. However, I noticed you still keep to your human mind…to a point."_

_I shrugged, "The bacteria are slowly affecting the way I think and remember."_

_The ghost smiled, "That's good. Then you can help me." He began walking into a building next to a generator. I followed him, unsure of his request._

"_Help? How can I help a ghost?" I asked._

_Bill stopped in front of a big, green generator. There was a body of a human leaning against it, holding an Assault rifle and a cigarette in it's lap. Blood was everywhere. I took a closer look at the body and the outfit quickly made me gasp. Bill nodded to my discovery, "I need you to give my body a proper funeral. I want my ashes collected, but I want you to keep my name patch and beret."_

"_Why me, Bill?" I asked without taking my sad eyes off of his moral body._

_He placed his hand on my shoulder and answered, "I want to be remembered, not forgotten. If I know you right, you'll give anything to find a way to be your old self again. I know you will my legacy back when you do. Don't let me be forgotten, Christina. Promise me."_

_I nodded as I wiped building tears from my eyes, "I will. I promise."_

"_Good girl." Bill kneeled before his body and took the position it was in. He faded without another word, leaving me to stare at his body. ~_

I woke up, feeling a little wet on the face. Was I crying in my sleep? The dream still played in my head. I yawned and stretched my body out like a cat. Lazerlemon, who was growing bigger and less fluffy every single day, was snoozing beside me on the Midnight Riders' stage. He yawned and asked, "Are you ok, Chris?"

I was amazed that he learned how to talk so quickly, even if he swears like me. I yawned again and answered, "I'm good. I just need to fulfill a promise to a friend."

Lazerlemon stood up on his hind legs and stretched, "Who? Nick?"

I shook my head and replied sadly, "No."

Realizing what he said, he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Chris. I didn't mean to bring him up."

I replied as I stood up, "Relax, Lazerlemon. No need to apologize. Another survivor named William Overbeck, a war vet."

Lazerlemon cocked his head and responded, "I don't recall having him in our old team."

"That's because he wasn't. He was with another team. I just know that I made him a promise that I plan to keep." I hopped off the stage and began walking up the bleachers into the control room, where Scar was plotting and planning. Our patrols on the theme park grounds have always been survivor-less. After the third patrol in a week, Scar came up and began plotting larger patrols with his team.

I walked in and asked the elder Hunter, "Scar, do you know how to get to Rayford?"

He looked up with a confused look on his face, "Why?"

I had to think of a good lie and fast. "I heard there were some survivors camping in the town."

He interrogated, "Where did you hear this information?"

"One of the Commons near the gate", I replied, with my heart pounding more rapidly by the second. "He told me that a group of survivors were holding out in Rayford. They're a deadly bunch, so he suggested that a one-Hunter strike force should go and attack them. Stealth and speed."

Scar rubbed his chin and hummed for a second. I stood on the other side of the table he used to show maps and attack plans, waiting for his reply. He finally grinned and said, "Very well. I trust you to go on this mission solo, but Rayford is Spectre's territory."

I tilted my head and asked, "Who's Spectre? Another ally?"

He scoffed, "Not really. More like a rogue Hunter. Maybe he will be able to help you."

I huffed, "I don't need help from a rogue!"

Scar warned, "Listen, Chris. He's a powerful, yet uncontrollable Hunter. He can easily kill you when he's set off. He's got not only the strength, but he also the smarts to outsmart you and kill you."

"Wow", I replied as I rolled my eyes, "Sounds like a real badass. I guess I better watch my step then. How will I know it's him?"

Scar chuckled, "Oh you'll know. Trust me. In order to get to Rayford, you need to follow the highway until you reach a draw bridge."

I nodded, took my leave and was confronted by Lazerlemon. "Where are you going?"

I answered, "I'm going to Rayford."

"Sweet! Can't wait", he beamed.

I gripped his shoulder and said, "Hold up, sport. I'm going alone. It's a solo mission."

His smile immediately faded and whimpered, "Why?"

"Because this is something I must do myself. I trust you to hold out here. Can you take my place here for a while until I get back?" He sighed, but nodded regardless. I smiled and gave the young Hunter a small hug. "Good. I'll be back as soon as I can."

I ran past the gate and did my best to avoid the Motel 6. The last thing I needed was a sorrowful flashback to my encounter with Nick and the rest of my friends. I kept running on top of cars on the freeway and didn't slow down for anything. I did notice I leaped over a blue car with many sponsor stickers on it. I thought for a second. "Was that Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s stock car? Naw! It can't be."

More than half way there, I felt like I was being stalked. I stopped to catch my breath and to look around. I growled defensively, hoping to scare my stalker away, but it didn't work. I stood up on a car hood and snarled, "Come on out, fucker!" I got my wish.

A shadowy figure pounced me onto the asphalt. I snarled as I hit my head against the black top. The figure was slightly bigger than me, but was very strong. I noticed he was wearing a 'Nightmare' shirt, an unzipped jacket, and an oily pair of overalls. This guy was definitely a Hunter; a southern one at that. Ellis? No. Ellis was wearing a Bull shifters shirt. Wait…could this be Spectre? The figure grinned a toothy grin as he eyed my neck.

As his claws gently began to scrape my neck, I squealed, "Spectre?"

The figure retreated his claw and asked as he loosened his grip, "How do you know that name?"

I exhaled sharply, "A Hunter named Scar told me."

The figure began chuckling. "Scar? That son'a'bitch is alive?"

I nodded. The figure removed his weight off my body and sat up onto the car hood, waiting me sit up. "Yes. Scar is still alive. I'm his latest 'creation'."

He replied, "Is that so? But you're a…"

"…a woman?" I finished his sentence.

He nodded, "Yes. I never expected a female Hunter to be out here, especially one under Scar's wing."

I stood up and rubbed my head. "I had to lie to him to get this far. So, I take it that you're Spectre."

He nodded, "Yes I am. Pleasure to meet you, Ms…"

"Call me Chris", I replied.

He whistled at my name, "Chris huh? Short for Christina no doubt. Beautiful name."

I blushed a tiny bit for some odd reason and replied, "Thanks, but I refer to be called Chris, not Christina. Got it?"

He nodded, "Completely. Now, what's one of Scar's lackeys doing all the way out here?"

I began walking towards Rayford, while Spectre followed me. "I'm here to give a friend a proper funeral and why am I talking to you as if you're a friend?"

He chuckled, "That's because you're comfortable around me."

I scoffed, "That's bullshit."

He cocked an eyebrow, "Is it?" I just huffed, causing him to laugh. I don't understand it. He looks like an ordinary Hunter to me. The only thing he did to show aggregation was pouncing me. Yet again, he was being flirtatious when he lightly pawed my neck. I shoved that thought out of my mind and continued walking.

Spectre was a unique Infected, I'll admit that. He wasn't just Hunter; he was a chimera. He was a mutt of Hunter, Witch, and Tank. Well, that explains his reputation about being powerful. Apparently, he was a battle strategist, who was very resourceful and intelligent. He was seeing as much action as Scar, possibly even more. He looked younger than Scar and he's the only other adult male Hunter I've interacted with.

When we got to Rayford, I thought, "This place looks like exactly my dream. That means finding Bill's body will be easy."

"I can show you around, Chris", Spectre said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"No thanks, Spectre. I'm here for one thing and one thing only", I replied. I began to walk towards the bridge generator room, but Spectre hopped in front of me. I growled, "Come on. I want to fulfill this promise I made."

He replied, "I know, but look at yourself. You look deader than me and I've been a zombie longer than you." I looked down on myself and sighed. I did look like I ran through traffic. I was not only tired, but my clothes were torn more by Commons, gained a few bruises, and my legs were about to give way.

I sighed in defeat and grumbled, "Fine. Can you escort me to the nearest hotel?"

He smiled and bowed, "Of course. Follow me." I rolled my eyes at his politeness. He led me into this pool hall, which confused me, but I was too tired and worn to complain. He chuckled as he looked at me, "I know it's not a hotel, but ever slept on a pool table? More comfortable than you think."

I yawned and grumbled, "Not caring right now. I'll take it over a hard stage or a wooden scaffold." I hopped onto the nearest pool table and curled up on the velvet. Spectre looked at me for a few minutes and walked over to the jukebox for some tunes. He put on an Avenged Sevenfold song and I growled.

He chuckled sheepishly and replied, "Sorry. I forgot that you are trying to sleep. My bad." He turned the jukebox off and hopped onto his own table, next to mine. He rested his head on his arm, eyeing me. "Night, Chris." I groaned something he didn't catch right away and rolled over, ignoring his glare. Yawning, I closed my eyes and fell asleep within seconds.

The next day, I woke to that Avenged Sevenfold song on the jukebox. With one eye open, I scanned the hall and saw Spectre leaning against the wall next to the jukebox, bobbing his head to the song. I stretched my body out of its curl and yawned. Spectre looked in my direction and said, "Morning, Chris. How'd you sleep last night?"

I sat up and lightly ran my claws across the velvet. "Very well, I'll admit." I hopped down and walked over to the jukebox and asked, "What song is this?"

He answered, "'Danger Line' by Avenged…"

"…Sevenfold. I've heard them before", I finished his sentence.

He nodded, "That's good. I love this song. It remains me of the ones I've lost."

I mumbled, "Join the club."

He looked up at me and asked, "You lost your family too?"

"Yeah. My whole family to this fucking apocalypse. Not just them, but my friends as well. You lose everyone you know and the experience leaves you a fucking mess."

He sighed almost happily and responded, "Finally. Someone who can understand me."

I quickly replied, "I'm sure Scar has lost people he cared for too."

His glare went over into my eyes and commented, "You attached to Scar? You talk about him rather fondly."

"What? Hell no! He's the one he bit me! It's more vice versa. He's attached to me."

He cocked an eyebrow and smirked, "Right. Keep telling yourself that, Chris."

I huffed as I leaped out the window into the construction site. Spectre followed me and nearly fell into the mud. I snickered, "Watch your step, Spectre."

"Oh har har. Don't try to piss me off", he warned.

I rolled my eyes and shimmied up a gutter pipe and onto a roof. Spectre followed me without a problem. I finally asked, "Why are you following me?"

"Because I like you."

I blinked, "Come again?"

He chuckled, "Not like that. You and I are on the same heart-broken boat. Besides, you're the only intelligent female around here. Everyone else are total idiots."

"Oh. Thanks for clearing that up. So you're following me because you can relate to me?"

"Yeah", he nodded.

I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "I guess I won't mind the company for a while. I had to leave Lazerlemon back at Whispering Oaks."

"Who?" the male chimera asked as he cocked an eyebrow.

"A Hunter pup. A fast growing one at that", I explained.

He nodded, "Oh." Then he shouted in shocked, "You had a Hunter pup?"

I leaped out of my hoodie at his tone. "No! My team found him in Ducatel about a week ago. He became a mascot to us and Alex's pet. He stayed with me when the chopper took off."

"Oh. Ok. Sorry I barked", he apologized.

I nodded, "It's ok. Enough chit-chat. I need to give my friend a proper funeral."

I began hopping rooftop to rooftop and managed to reach the bridge in record time. Spectre was slightly faster than me, so he made it to the bridge before me. I was a little irked by his superior speed but if I say anything, he could kill me without thinking twice.

I hopped down onto the ground and walked into the generator room. I gasped as I saw Bill's body leaning against one of the green generators. Spectre saw the body and quickly left the room, so I could have a moment alone.

In truth, Spectre was just as upset upon seeing the body as I was. As he retreated the room, memories came flooding back to him. A single tear rolled down his grey cheek as he whispered, "Father." He took a deep breath to clear his mind and hopped away, looking around for something to use to make a pyre.

I walked in front of his body and my eyes began to tear up. I don't understand why. I never saw him alive in the past. We weren't real friends. We were pen pals. I wrote to him while he was in 'Nam and he wrote back. He was like an older brother to me, even if we never met in real life…for lack of a better word. Well, I'm a zombie and he's dead.

"Bill?" I asked as tears began to flood my eyes. I kneeled before his body and lifted his head up to my eye level. "I'll fulfill my promise to you, Bill." I blinked and tears rolled down my cheeks. His eyes stared blankly at me, lifeless. I sniffled as I pulled his eyelids down. Without controlling myself, I gave the corpse a hug and sobbed on his shoulder. "I wish I knew you for real, Bill. You're a badass angel." I pulled away and wiped my tears with my sleeve. I did remember Bill saying that I could take his name badge and beret, so I gently removed the badge and took his beret off his head. I placed the badge into the beret and gingerly rolled it up. I sniffled as I gently stuffed it into my hoodie pocket.

Spectre walked in and asked as he placed a strong claw on my shoulder, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah", I replied while trying to sound like I wasn't crying. However, I failed epically. I knew that he knew I was crying. "I got to make a pyre, so I can burn the body."

He responded, "Already done it. It's on the intersection."

I was shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah", he grinned at me. He let go of my shoulder and watched me run outside to see the pyre he created. It was a bunch of big road blocks arranged in a big circle. Inside the center was covered with ragged clothes from deceased zombies. I was close to crying again. Spectre walked beside me and asked, "Is it good?"

"Is it? How did you do this?" I asked him.

He grinned, "I'm stronger than I look. Besides, I couldn't fall asleep right away, so I went around Rayford and collected clothes from the dead to use as a nest for Bill."

I embraced him, which startled him. "Thank you. Thank you so much." I pulled away before he got a chance to hug me back. I began walking back to Bill, with many thoughts buzzing around in my mind. Why did I hug Spectre? Was it because I was emotional? Most likely. This is not me. I need to get my act together and not act like a scared little woman. That was never who I was. I took a deep breath and gently lifted Bill's body into my arms. Damn; he's heavier than he looks.

I was able to carry his body outside and into the pyre. I placed his hands on his heart and saw Spectre take his Assault Rifle and planned on aiming it at the sky. I took a nearby Molotov and began to speak, "William Overbeck. Nam Vet, Zombie Slayer, and loyal friend. I wish I would've seen you at least once before your death. When I died from Nancy's attack, you said that you were watching over me and you mentioned a few things that baffled me. Regardless, watching over me or not, I promised that I'll give you a proper funeral. You're one badass Nam Vet and I hope you didn't die in vain. Farewell."

Spectre stepped up and said, "Godspeed, William Vincent Overbeck."

I cocked an eyebrow at him as I lit the Molotov and tossed it into the pyre. Within seconds, fire engulfed Bill's body and the flames danced in the air. Spectre raised the Assault Rifle into the air and fired several shots like a soldier respecting a fallen comrade. If I was wearing a hat, I would've placed it on my heart. I watched the fire dance and the sparks leap into the sky. I sighed with relief. At least Bill got his wish.

After Spectre stopped firing the rifle, he tossed it aside and sighed. "Bye, Dad."

I heard this remark and snapped my head in his direction. Shocked, I repeated, "'Dad?'"

Spectre made eye contact with me, which kind of made me freeze in place because his eyes were so intense. "Yeah." He showed me the tag on the sleeve of his hoodie and it read: 'Lt. Vincent Overbeck. Task Force 114.'

I read the tag over a hundred times, trying to register this information in my head. "You're Bill's son? He never even mentioned that he had offspring!"

"That's because I was labeled 'MIA', presumed 'KIA' about twenty years ago. Besides, if you never met him before then how could you know so much about him?"

I sighed and replied, "I 'died' back in Ducatel by witch scratches and I bled out. In heaven, I was greeted by Bill. Apparently, he's my guardian NamVet. He watches over me because my family requested it. Why he took the job, I don't know."

Spectre asked, "Isn't the title called 'guardian angel'?"

"He hates being addressed as an angel, so he addressed himself as a guardian NamVet. He said 'angel' didn't fit him." Another thing bugged me about Spectre. He said he was labeled 'KIA' twenty years ago. If that's the case, then how old is he now?

"Wait…how old are you?" I asked. That question sounded too blunt and rude to me, so I quickly apologized, "Sorry. That was too quick."

He rose his claw and replied, "It's ok. I was 26 when that happened."

"26?" I shouted in shock. He must be lying. If that's true, then he's 46 right now. He definitely doesn't have a weak body. Not that I was staring. "Then how do you looker younger?"

He chuckled, "Lots of exercise. I can see you are pretty fit yourself."

I did my best to hold a blush, but by the look on Spectre's face, I knew I failed. I looked down on myself and noticed that I was rather skinny. I haven't eaten anything in days, because I refuse to go completely cannibal carnivore on dead bodies. However, I have noticed that if I don't eat, I will go crazy. I normally just nibble on a zombie hand to control my hunger.

"Thanks", I replied. "Well, Spectre, it was nice to meet ya, but as soon as Bill's body becomes a pile of ashes and saved, I need to hit the road."

This shocked him. "Wait a second. You're leaving?"

"Yeah", I nodded, "I did say that I was staying here for one reason and one reason only: to give Bill a proper funeral. Now I gotta go."

"Back to Scar?" he asked with a hint of sadness.

I shook my head and replied, "Not yet. I need to go to Miami."

"Why Miami? What's there for you?" he asked curiously.

"My family", I sighed. "Time to put them to rest."

_**Meanwhile…**_

Francis told the whole story for the fifth time that day, "When my horse crossed the finish line first, I sprang to me feet and shouted 'Hell yes! I won, suckers!'"

Nick groaned, "We know! We get it! You're worse than Ellis with these stories!"

The biker turned towards him and scowled, "You don't have to listen to it, you know."

Coach, who was also bored with the story, replied, "Yeah, but that's all you've been talking about ever since we left Foxwoods. Talk about something else, Francis."

Francis huffed in response. Sheila spoke for him, "We should be talking about the upcoming tests we need to pass in order to become official ZVSs."

Ellis groaned at the thought, "Why do we need to take some sort of test to prove that we kick zombie ass?"

She looked at him and shrugged, "I don't know, Ellis. Maybe it's a government thing."

Francis and Nick growled in unison, "Fuck the government." Both men realized that they spoke the same thing, so they quickly stared at each other, before sneering in slight disgust.

Ro rolled her eyes and said, "I know you two hate each other, but can you two along long enough to pass the tests?"

Francis smiled at her and said, "I will for you." Nick scoffed as he rolled his eyes at the biker. Everyone knew that Francis likes Rochelle, even back in Rayford. He was flirtatious to her, but just as cold-hearted to Nick that he is now. Nick remembered how he and Ellis would tease her about liking 'the biker dude' as he was known back then. Back before Sheila, Alex and I. Nick sighed as he poked his lunch with his fork.

Coach asked, "Does anyone what these tests will be?"

Zoey groaned, "I hope I don't have to write anything on paper. Too many tests in college."

"I doubt it, Zoey", Louis replied, "Maybe it's a run-and-gun simulation. We might have to do a certain amount of things to pass."

Alex quipped, "Sounds like you've done this before, Lou."

He just shrugged, "It's just a guess, Alex. Anything can happen with these tests."

Dwayne and Jock came marching up to the table, decked out in their army uniforms. Jock hissed at them, "Let's go, maggots! Time for your test to begin!" They stood up from their table, scowled at Jock's 'maggot' comment, and marched single file, following Jock and Dwayne. They led the rookies to the Sarge, who was waiting in front of a huge entrance. Next to the entrance was a table covered in weapons.

"Are you people ready to take the test?" Sarge barked at the survivors. Some nodded, others shook their heads. Alex raised his hand shyly, but the Sarge barked, "Well, it doesn't matter if you maggots are ready or not! You will take this test and you will pass! Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone barked in unison, "Sir, yes, sir!"

He smirked, "Good to hear it. You people have been training for how long now?" He walked up to Ellis and shouted the same question in his face, "How long have you maggots been training!"

Ellis shouted back, "Sir, about two weeks, sir!"

"That's right!" He backed up and addressed to everyone, "Two weeks isn't a lot, but no time like the fuckin' present! Time to put your training to the test! In this maze, you will face zombies and you will act accordingly! You will have to split up! You will have to work together as a team!"

The survivors were all thinking, "We've done this before." Teamwork: easy. Zombies: easier. Splitting up: Not that bad. Especially with a big group, splitting up was easier to do, except the lack of communications would be a problem.

"Leland. Hutchison. Give them their weapons!" the Sarge commanded. The two soldiers nodded and obeyed their orders. Dwayne grabbed two guns: Assault Rifle and a Grenade Launcher and walked over to Nick.

"Nick, you're the Demolitions of your team. You not only get you Assault rifle but you also get this Grenade Launcher." Nick took the Grenade Launcher and strapped it to his back, while taking the Assault rifle into his hands.

Jock said to Alex, "Boy, you're a Hacker. Here's your SMG and Mac 10 pistol."

"Cool!" the youngster replied as he took his weapons from Jock's hands. "Wait. Why do we need a hacker for?"

Jock sighed and rolled his eyes, "To hot wire cars and security boxes. That's why." The younger Bucker brother sheepishly nodded.

Dwayne said to Sheila and Zoey, "You two girls will be Medics. You two are responsible to helping your wounded teammates and protecting them. You both get snipers and dual pistols." The only difference between their primary weapons was that Sheila had her auto sniper, while Zoey had a standard one.

Jock handed Rochelle a Combat rifle and Louis a SMG with both survivors having Magnums. "You two are scouts. You are the runners of the group."

Rochelle scoffed while Louis talked, "We know what a scout does, Jock." The soldier just glared at them shortly before getting more weapons.

Dwayne gave Ellis a military sniper rifle and announced, "You're the group's sniper, Ellis. I'm sure you know what a sniper does."

Ellis scoffed politely and said, "Of course, Dwayne. I got this sniper job down."

He smiled and gripped his shoulder while handing him dual pistols, "Glad to hear it."

Jock looked at Coach and Francis and declared, "You two are Heavy weapons specialists. Both of you will carry M60s."

Francis chuckled as he walked over to the table and picked up one of the M60s. "This is a real gun."

Coach asked, "Is it because I'm fat?" Francis burst into laughter, while Ellis, Sheila, Alex, Nick and Rochelle stayed quiet. Zoey and Louis had to stifle their snickers. "Shut up, Francis", he huffed as he picked up the second M60. Francis's secondary weapon was a pump shotgun and Coach had his SPAS by his side.

Once everyone got their weapons and were ready to rock, Sarge barked at them, "You will be watched at all times, so any mistakes you make will be seen! Make it to the end of the maze and we'll discuss how well you maggots did!"

Jock and Dwayne handed everyone a head mic that enables communications with everyone on the channel. It looked like the head sets that the Marines in 'Aliens' wore to keep in contact with the general. Dwayne said, "Good luck, guys."

Sheila gripped his shoulder, since she was the closest and smiled, "Thanks, Dwayne." He smiled back and nodded.

"Forward!" Sarge yelled as he and Jock stood aside of the entrance, allowing the survivors to enter. They walked inside and immediately came to a fork in the road.

"Are they serious?" Ellis complained.

"A fork this early can't be good", Louis commented.

Nick discovered, "They want to split us up early to test us. Since there are only nine of us, one group will be odd. Double classes split. One Scout, one Heavy, and one Medic per team."

Francis barked, "Who died and made you leader, suit?"

"Francis!" Ro snapped at him. "Nick has a point. We need to split up and one of each class is a very smart idea."

Nick nodded to her, "Thanks, Ro. That means the oddballs: Ellis, Alex and I must split to the team would next us the most."

Coach recommended, "We should keep the couples apart to avoid distractions."

There was a wave of moaning that washed over the group. Nick snapped, "Keep your heads on the test, not on your lover!" The couples shut up after Nick's firm, yet correct statement.

After much debate, Nick's plan split the group into two teams. Team one was Coach, Rochelle, Sheila, Alex, and Nick. Team two was Francis, Louis, Ellis, and Zoey. Team One went on the left side of the fork, while Team Two went onto the right road.

About five minutes of walking down the crude maze, Coach decided to try to talk to one of the members of the opposite team. He tuned onto the channel and huge wave of static hit his ear drums. "Ow! Shit, that hurt!" Once the static calmed down, he spoke into the mic, "Hello! Team Two can you read me?"

Ellis's voice spoke from the other end, "Yeah, I hear ya, Coach! What's going on with you guys?"

"Nothing at all, Ellis. No zombies, no traps, nothing!"

The Southerner replied, "Same here. What's the point? Wait…what the?" The sound of gun fire replaced Ellis's voice.

"Young'un? Ellis?" Coach begged as he tapped his mic.

Sheila gasped, "Coach! Look out!"

He looked up to see this common zombie rush at him. "Shit!" he shouted as he took his SPAS and blasted it away with one shot.

His team looked over the body and Alex asked frantically, "More zombies? How did the military get zombies?"

Sheila concluded, "It's part of the test. The zombies indicate real danger. The military must keep them locked up or something."

Nick added his two sense, "Ever seen '28 Days Later'? Military-kept zombies are never a good idea."

"We should get our act together, guys", Ro announced. "We should use our classes and help benefit the team. I'll scout ahead and see if there any more obstacles."

Sheila placed her hand on Ro's shoulder and said, "Be careful, Ro. Keep your mic on."

"I will", she replied as she ventured forward, past the dead body. After five minutes, she returned and reported, "Up ahead is a large clearing with about 25 zombies in it."

Nick nodded and switched to his Grenade Launcher. "I should be able to blow a good chuck out of their numbers. Coach, use your M60 to mow them down when they come running. Sheila and Ro, cover us." They all nodded at Nick's plan and advanced forward cautiously.

Nick went forward and sure enough, Rochelle's report was right. Large amount of zombies in a large clearing. He loaded his Launcher and aimed into the middle, where most of the bodies were. He pulled the trigger and watched the bomb fly into the air and hit its mark. The explosion captured about 15 commons and sent the rest running towards him. "Now, Coach!" Nick shouted. Coach leaped into the clearing and let his M60 pump lead into the undead targets. Nick smiled; his plan was working.

One zombie, however got close enough to scratch Coach, causing him to yelp and shoot it down. Once the field was clear, he dropped his gun and grabbed his arm. Sheila examined the wound and declared, "The scratch is not that deep to spread the infection, but it's still dangerous. Good thing I picked up a med kit back there. Nick, Ro, cover me while I tend to Coach."

Both of them nodded and watched out for any zombies while Sheila cleaned the scratch and wrap it in linen. Coach grinned and said, "Thanks, Sheila. You make a good medic."

She smiled as she helped him stand up, "Thanks, Coach. I do my best."

They advanced through the maze with little or no mishaps. Zoey was able to contact them their Nick's head set. "Are you guys ok?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Zoey. Coach did get scratched, but Sheila took care of it. How are things on your end?"

"Good to hear it, Nick. Louis got ambushed by three commons, who Ellis saw and nailed them with his sniper skills. I was able to patch him up", she answered.

Nick smiled, "Good, good. If we keep this up, we'll pass this test."

"I hope so. I'll contact you if anything else happens. Zoey out." His heat set went static-y after she 'hung up' on him. He nodded and told his team the status on Team Two. They were relieved to hear that they're ok.

After more plans and zombie killing, both groups reunited at the exit of the maze. They were happy to see that everyone was ok. Or at least in one piece. They ran out of the maze and were greeted by Sarge, Jock, Dwayne, and several other soldiers they didn't know or seen. They stood in their single file line and all eyes on the Sarge. The sergeant looked at the survivors and smiled. "You maggots pass."

**Spectre: Glad to see they passed the test.**

**Dwayne: Me too. Now the real challenge begins for them.**

**Spectre: I'll be waiting for them. **

**Dwayne: Very well, Hunter.**

**Spectre: Only a third Hunter. I'm a chimera.**

**Dwayne: Right…I need to read that part again. Hey, five more reviews for Chapter 6!**

**Spectre: Chapter 6? How long is this story?**

**Dwayne: Long enough. Oh, the author is very sorry for making all of you wait so long.**

**Me: I think I can speak for myself. Sorry for the wait, guys! Oh, Spectre does not belong to me.**

**Spectre: That's right. I belong to ****A little help here****.**

**Dwayne: I think this after note is longer that we intended. **

**Me: I agree. Before we go, thanks ****A little help here**** for helping me through the cursed writer's block and laziness. Sorry if Spectre might be out of his personality. I did my best. I don't own L4D. And…that's it. Peace!**

_HHH_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey people! Sorry if I've been off for a while. I've been grounded from the Internet, but not from writing, which I'm grateful about. Here's chapter 6! Enjoy!**

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 6: Family Secrets**_

A sigh of relief escaped my throat as I stood in front of a road sign that read: 'Welcome to Florida.'

"Finally. I'm back home", I stated as I stared at the sign for a few seconds.

Spectre, who decided to come along with me, groaned in boredom, "It's a sign. Yes, once we cross the border, we'll be in Florida. Moving on." He walked forward, leaving me to look at the sign for a few more seconds. He found something of interest and approached it. It was a mangled car. "Chris! Take a look at this!" he shouted without taking his eyes off it.

I answered his call, "What is it?"

He turned around and shouted, "Well, come and see it!"

I growled and trotted over to his side. My eyes widened when I saw the wreck. I gasped, "My Caddy!"

My sentence startled Spectre a little while I walked up to it. "This was your Cadillac?"

"Yes. Won it in poker several months ago", I explained.

He looked at it and noticed how trashed it was. He hissed at the damage and asked, "How did it get like this?"

I sighed softly to myself, trying to find a way to answer his question without getting too deep into my past. "I had a run-in with a Tank named Brawn. One of Scar's crew."

"Ok", he nodded. Despite how much I grew up mentally in the past few weeks, I still get my emotional breakdowns, especially when it comes to my family. I felt my eyes begin to tear up, so I quickly swiped my eyes clear, praying that Spectre didn't see me. "Are you ok?" he asked, causing me to curse in my head.

"I'm fine, Spectre", I snapped. He took a small step back and hopped into the driver's seat. I rolled my eyes, wondering what he was going to do. "Don't bother trying to start it. I'm sure in its condition, the gas tank is ruptured and it's missing a tire."

The male chimera shook his head as he focused on the glove compartment. "I know. That's no way this car can move again, unless you know a mechanic."

"I did know one…" I trailed off when Ellis came into my mind. I sigh escaped my throat as I thought of him and Sheila being together. At least they're together and out of the hell. A smile cracked on my mouth, knowing my actions were worth it for my team to survive.

Spectre snapped his claws in front of my face and said, "Earth to Chris!"

"Huh? What? I didn't do it!"

He laughed and stated, "You looked really zoned out. What were you thinking about?"

"Just my friends. Ellis and Sheila", I answered simply.

His eyes widened slightly. "Wait. Did you say 'Sheila'?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Sheila Spyri. Boston girl. My best friend for years. Why? Do you know her?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he eyed my CD collection. "Green Day? Three Days Grace? Wait…what the hell? Hannah Montana?"

I snapped as I removed the CD out of his claw, "That was my sisters' CD! Why the hell would I listen to that bitch? By the way, you're dodging my question."

He sighed as he began to sing "Danger Line" softly:

_My sixteen locked and loaded_

_All fear has been aborted_

_You say the words and my weapon is drawn_

_This one could be my last time_

_Some people call it war crime_

_I may be staring down the lethal sight…to die_

_Nothing shocks you like a bullet hole_

_Leaving my fear on the danger line!_

_Suffering a man should never know_

_Leaving my faith on the danger line! _

I will admit this: I liked hearing him sing. Instead of snapping at him for not answering my question, I leaned against the passenger side door and let him sing. I actually liked the song.

_I do this for my family_

_My daughter loves her daddy_

_Too many talk down on things they don't know_

_With colors never faded_

_Recklessness and unabated_

_They may take me, but never take us all…I'll crawl_

_Nothing shocks you like a bullet hole_

_Leaving my fear on the danger line!_

_Suffering a man should never know_

_Leaving my faith on the danger line!_

_I know what you're thinking, I've been there before_

_So think of the times_

_The time we spent laughing away_

_So think of the times at home_

_Now I bind myself in my own blood_

_The damage done is far beyond repair_

_I never put my faith in up above_

_But now, I'm hoping someone's there _

He sighed and I remembered this part of the song slows down its melody and makes it sorrowful. I listened as he continued with perked ears. I saw him stick his claws into his jacket pocket and pull out an old photo.

_Never meant to leave this world alone_

_I never meant to hurt the ones who cared_

_And all this time, I thought we just grow old_

_Ya know, no said it's fair_

_Tell my baby girl that it's alright_

_I've sung my last song today_

_Remind the lord to leave this light on_

_For me…I'm free. _

He leaned back into the seat, closed his eyes and sighed sadly. I eyed the photo he had and got startled when he spoke to me, "That's my family."

I looked at him and replied, "Really? I thought you just had Bill. So you had a wife and kids?"

"Kid", he corrected me.

"Oh. May I see the picture?" I asked as I held my claw out. He nodded as he handed it to me. The picture had three people in it: Spectre was the easiest to depict. Tall, black-haired guy wearing an Army jacket. It might be the one he was wearing right now. The girl with him looked similar to Sheila, which made me gasp a little. She had brown eyes and long blonde hair. Then I looked at his daughter.

My eyes widened and gasped, "Sheila…" Out of shock, I slid down onto the ground, causing Spectre to look out the window and down on me.

"Are you ok, Chris?" he asked almost innocently.

I clawed my way back onto my feet and continued to stare at the picture in my claw. "Do I bloody look ok?" I growled, "Sheila Spyri is your own daughter?"

"Yeah she is", he nodded.

I still didn't want to believe this. "How? She's not an Overbeck! She's a Spyri!"

"We had to put her up for adoption."

I was getting frantic. I actually grabbed the collar of his jacket and snarled, "Why? Why would you do that to my best friend!"

His eyes narrowed into a menacing glare, causing me to let go of his collar and slightly cower. I forget that he can take me down without breaking a sweat. "Spyri is her adoptive name. On her birth certificate, her full name is Sheila Allison Overbeck."

"When did this happen and how old was she?" I asked, doing my best to stay cool.

He sighed as he raked his brain for the answers. "She was about one year old when we put her up for adoption. That's when I was 'off the grid', which was about 20 years ago. She was very young. Young enough to forget about me and my wife."

As much as I hate to bring up past relationships, curiosity got the best of me. "Is your wife…?" I hesitated to finish my sentence.

"Dead", he sighed.

I looked down at the ground in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. At least Sheila's alive. Thanks to you, I heard."

I nodded, "That's right. A bold, yet stupid stunt in New Orleans."

He smiled and stated, "I thank you for that action on the bridge. You saved seven lives."

I nodded respectfully and slightly blushed for no reason, "No problem. I was glad to do it."

"And yet, you're pissed off for being here", he cocked an eyebrow.

I groaned slightly and explained, "I expected to die, not turn. Even Bill told me that I was expected to die on that day. Well, at least his spirit did."

Spectre slipped out of the car through the passenger window and asked, "Wait…you wanted to die? As in six feet under? KIA?"

"Yes. But in a strange way, I'm glad that Scar didn't kill me."

The male chimera thought for a second and decided to lighten the dark mood with a little humor, "That's because if you died, you wouldn't have met me. Admit it; we're getting closer and closer with every talk and adventure." He slid closer to me to illustrate his point. "And I still remember that hug you gave me in Rayford", he added with a smirk.

I growled and slid away from him. "It was a very emotional moment! It wasn't a hug of passion!" I grumbled as I walked to the trunk of the Caddy. Using my claw to pick the lock, I opened the trunk and pulled out a shovel.

"Why the hell is a shovel in the trunk?" Spectre asked in a shocked manner.

I placed the shovel on my shoulder and smirked, "You don't wanna know."

Spectre blinked and gulped a little. Dangerous thoughts entered his mind about me and using the shovel in certain situations. I chuckled as I walked past him, thinking, "I never returned it to the shed when I had to bury my sister's cat. He probably thinks I killed someone and buried them."

Spectre shook the thoughts out of this head and asked, "So…what's the plan?"

"Find my family's remains, bury them, and say a few words and high tail it back to Scar before he flips out on me. And you would be heading back to Rayford", I answered as I tapped the head of the shovel.

He whimpered a little, "Why do I must go back? I don't wanna."

"It's your territory", I explained.

"It's only my territory, because that's where Scar's forces aren't occupying. Scar and I don't get along very well, so we do our best to avoid clashing. I think he's threatened by me", he grumbled.

I rolled my eyes and declared, "Threatened or not, it's best to obey his commands."

Spectre mocked as we began walking down the asphalt road, "Bullshit. Sure, I'm different, but the least he can do is respect me."

"I'm no general or leader, but maybe we you two meet, a talk can sort that out. Communication is key, Spectre", I advised.

He nodded, while he saw me walk off the road and towards two charred bodies on the side. I sighed as I stared at the bodies. "Mom. Dad", I whispered.

"What happened to them?" Spectre asked as he came up behind me.

"A Spitter named Abby got them", I answered melancholy.

He looked down on them and asked, "One of Scar's?"

I nodded without answering. Flashbacks to their demise flooded my mind. I remember seeing them flail and screaming bloody murder as their flesh was being melted away by the acid spit. I also remembered how useless I felt for just watching them die. I swallowed hard and did my best to shove those emotional memories out of my head. Taking the shovel off my shoulder and into my hands, I walked next to the bodies and struck the dirt beside them.

Spectre watched me dig the hole in the dirt for a few minutes and then decided to make himself useful. He looked around for a vehicle to hot wire while I continued to dig my parents' grave. He saw a Humvee and beamed. "Yay. My type of car", he thought as he trotted towards it, leaving me alone.

Once the hole was deep enough, I walked over to their charred bodies. I kneeled down and picked up one of the skeletons and gently placed it in the hole. The second skeleton had acid residue on it, causing me to hiss when I picked it up. Quickly placing it in the hole with the other one, I flailed my claws in burning pain, growling, "Damn that hurt." However, when I examined my claws, I saw the flesh-eating chemical feasting away on my skin ceased and watched it seal back together. "Thank you, Scar for the regeneration ability."

As I began to bury them, I began speaking my final words to them, "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for not being there to save you guys and that I wasn't the perfect daughter. I wish I could've said goodbye to you when I moved out and thanked you for all that you've done for me. The least I could've done was say how much you guys meant to me. I'm sorry and farewell in Heaven. Say 'hi' to Bill for me."

I used the head of the shovel to even out the surface of dirt on the grave. Using a nearby piece of metal, I planted it at the head of the grave and grumbled, "Damn. I wish I had spray paint."

"You need this?" Spectre snuck up behind me, holding a red can of spray paint in his claw.

I grabbed the can and asked, "Where did you get this?"

"It was in the back of the Humvee. I found it while I was hot-wiring it."

I nodded and smiled, "Thanks, Spectre. I needed this." I shook the can up, popped the top and began spraying on the chuck of metal with the red paint.

"You're welcome", he smiled back.

The metal grave stone read, 'R.I.P Elisa and Travis Starly. 1964-2009. Lovers, parents, friends. Damn zombies…'

I tossed the red can aside and felt my eyes beginning to water. I quickly swiped them clear and cleared my throat. "Time to go."

"Good. The Humvee is ready", Spectre replied as he began walking towards the driver's door.

I quickly grabbed his shoulder and stated, "I don't think so, pally. I have the Miami license and I know the area like the back of my claw. You're on my territory now."

He groaned and finally smiled, "Very well. Ladies first."

I rolled my eyes and hopped into the driver's seat of the Humvee. Spectre doesn't hop inside right away. He used the remaining paint to paint a '3' on the door. He chuckled as he leaped into the shotgun seat. I sighed as I leaned into the seat, "What did you do?"

He smirked as he rubbed his claws against his jacket, "I just gave this Humvee a little personal and humorous touch."

"Ok. Hey, betcha five bucks that the Humvee won't start the first try", I challenged with my gambling grin.

He scoffed, "You're on!"

I smirked as I attached the wires together to make a spark. Nothing.

He growled at my smirk, "I owe one five bucks."

"So does Detour", I quipped, "I'll be sure to collect my bets later. In the meantime…" the engine roared as the wires touched again and produced sparked, "…time to go home."

A few hours of driving brought us into the city of Miami. My family lived in the outskirts of the city. However, half way through my home city, the Humvee ran out of gas. As an added bonus, we heard gunshots in the distance. We both hopped out and I quipped, "Time to put my training to the test."

"Wait…what?" he asked confused.

I explained, "Time to prove myself as a Hunter. This will be my first survivor attack without Scar."

Spectre grinned, "Well, you haven't seen me in action." He walked dangerously close to me and then vanished into a black cloud. I slashed my claw into the cloud, thinking it was an invisibility act, but I didn't touch him.

I gasped, "What the hell? Where did he go?"

"Right behind ya", his voice hissed.

I spun around and saw him reappear before my eyes. I did a double take and replied, "Shit. That's a newest and best 'smoke-and-mirrors' trick I've ever seen."

He chuckled, "That's not magic." He vanished again and reappeared on top of the Humvee. "This is my own ability, similar to your invisibility and regeneration."

"You can disappear and reappear wherever at will! Like a ghost", I stated, but face-palmed, "Right. I finally got that."

Spectre laughed, but it was cut short when the firing of guns drew closer. "I'll be right back." He vanished, leaving me alone.

I sighed, "Famous last words." I hopped into the back of the Humvee and locked the door. "Might as well get a few winks before fighting." Curling up in a dark corner, I yawned and closed my eyes, thinking, "Hope Spectre will be ok."

Spectre stalked the band of survivors quietly. He stayed in the shadows of the buildings, watching the five humans blast their way through the zombie-infected streets. He studied them intensively. Three guys and two girls. Two of the guys looked like nerds and the last one looked like a druggie. One of the girls looked like she was the druggie's companion, since she too looked like she did drugs. The last girl looked extremely timid to be fighting. "Chris should take her", he thought. After watching them stop and rest in a safe room, the chimera ran back towards the Humvee.

A small scratching noise and a faint click caused me to open an eye. I sat up and growled defensively, hoping to scare the intruder away.

The doors opened and the light revealed a silhouette, followed by a voice, "Relax, Chris. It's me."

I sighed with relief as the figure hopped into the back with me. "Damn, Spectre. You scared me."

"Oh? I scared you?" he cocked an eyebrow with a smirk.

I snapped as I scratched the back off my neck, "No! Dumbass. Where did you vanish to?"

He sat across from me and explained, "I scouted ahead and found the group of survivors. Five in all. Two nerds. Two druggies. And very jittery girl."

I nodded, "Very well. What are their weapons?"

"Both male nerds hold shotguns and axes. The jittery, timid girl carries a Hunting rifle and a baseball bat. The male druggie has a M60 and a chainsaw. And lastly, the female druggie has an Uzi with katana. I say this band is a piece of cake."

"Good, good. Melee weapons will pose a needed challenge. I take it that you have a plan?" I questioned.

He nodded, "It's a matter of fact, I do have a plan. I want you to summon the horde to keep them distracted, so I can come into the kill. Think you can do that?"

I scoffed and chuckled, "Of course. Who do I get to take down? The druggie with the M60 or one of the nerds?"

He shook his head and replied, "Nope. You get to take on the timid girl."

"What? Oh c'mon!" I pouted.

He laughed and placed a strong claw on my shoulder, "Don't worry, Chris. You call the shots on the next group. Ok?"

I sighed and grumbled, "Fine. I'll take down the jittery girl, but I'm still not happy about it."

"At least you get to see me in action. I'll show you how I take my enemies down", he grinned at me and finished with a wink. Thanks to my dark corner, he didn't see my slight blush. Why the hell am I blushing all the time?

We abandoned the Humvee, but kept the shovel on my back. I ran along the rooftops while Spectre vanished from point to point. When the survivors were on the move again, Spectre stood beside me as I looked down from an apartment building. "Summon the horde and create some chaos", Spectre commanded.

I chuckled and responded, "Time to crash this party!" Spectre stood back as I stood up and roared at the top of my lungs. All common zombies within miles can running towards the immediate area. I grinned, until the male druggie hit me with a M60 bullet. I screeched as it pierced my left forearm, but leaped down and landed evenly on my feet behind a car, offering me some cover.

Spectre saw my jump and heard my screech, but ignored it for now. He vanished using his ghostly ability and blended into the chaos of the horde. He saw me leap from behind my cover and began running around, drawing their fire, ensuing the chaos to continue. He focused on his closest target: the female druggie. He quickly beheaded her, plain and simple, but saw her druggie boyfriend see her death. "You fucker!" he screamed as he turned his heavy gun on the chimera. He leaped over his head, landed, turned and sank his index and ring claws underneath the base of his skull. The pain was unbearable, but quick. Using his Tank-like strength, he easily pulled his head and his spine out of his body, Predator style.

The jittery, timid girl saw Spectre stunt and screamed at the top of her lungs. She aimed her Hunting rifle at him, but he vanished in a thin cloud of smoke. She began firing uncontrollably, thinking he was nearby and just hiding. By accident, one bullet hit one of the nerds, causing him to shriek in pain. "What the fuck, Kayla!"

In panic, she began to sob, "I'm sorry!"

I took this as my chance to up the ante. I rammed into an alarmed car and it wailed in my ear and into every ear in the city. I hopped away from the car and pounced the jittery chick before she, out of blind luck, shoots Spectre. She wailed in horror when I pinned her down, causing me to grit my teeth. It was ear-splitting to me and Spectre too.

Spectre zipped out of nowhere and slashed one of the nerds stomach open. He bellowed as he weakly tried to stop his guts from spilling out onto the pavement. The other nerd protected his buddy from the horde, trying to tell him that he'll be alright, despite the fact that his pal was going to die.

Once I slit the throat of the jittery girl and watched her blood pour out of her throat, I hopped up and looked over the area. Spectre is now out in the open, watching the nerd futilely try to hold his guts in his body, while the second nerd was taking on the horde himself. I curb-stomped the girl's head, causing it to crack and ooze under the force of my foot. That shut her up rather quick.

I walked over to Spectre and asked, "Are you going to kill the last one?"

He shook his head and smiled at me, "Nope. He's all yours."

I beamed and noticed that his now using his axe against the horde. In my mind that registered as 'He's out of ammo for his gun and must fight using his melee weapon.' Once the commons were cleared out, he turned to his mortally wounded buddy and watched his small intestine and stomach pour out onto the bloody asphalt. The body fell to the side and ceased to be living. 'Now's my chance.'

I growled, causing the last survivor to face me. He gripped his bloody axe and began panting. I stood up and slowly, but menacingly began walking towards the frightened nerd. Spectre sat on car hood and watched. He swung his axe at me and I ducked without effort. He lunged again, but I was easily able to side-step his attack. I rolled my eyes and quipped, "All too easy."

However, I didn't see him back-wipe the blunt end of the axe into my head. I hissed in pain, causing Spectre to lightly gasp and sit up. He growled and leaped at him in my defense. Spectre reached for his jaw and snapped it off its hinges. He bellowed in pain and stumbled away from the almighty chimera, holding his jaw. Back in the fight again, I snarled at the human and decided to get vicious. As he swung the axe again, I caught it and pulled him closer to me than he intended. He gasped as my eyes bore down into his and before he knew it, my left claw went right through his heart. He dropped his axe and I used my right claw to swing his former weapon into his head. His body fell backwards with a heavy thud.

I rubbed my left forearm after I watched the corpse fall. Spectre asked as he approached, "Are you ok?"

I rolled my sleeve up and noticed how much blood I lost during the healing process. "I'm fine. Nothing lethal or serious. I'm ok. You were all over the place."

"That's what I do, Chris."

"By the way, your plan fell through. I'm surprised. Normally, the plans I come up with, I would have to improvise if things went wrong. Yours was…perfect", I commented.

He grinned with pride and replied, "Thanks." He grabbed my left arm gently and quickly examined it. "By the way, the reason my plans don't fall apart so easily is because I'm a skilled tactician. Also, I have a partner who's very cooperative."

His statement made feel very uncomfortable all of a sudden, causing me to pry my arm out of his grip. He cocked an eyebrow and asked, "What it something I said?"

"No", I lied, "We just need to get going. I'd like to get to my parents' house before dusk."

He nodded and stood aside, "Lead the way."

We hopped through the city with me in the lead. Spectre had to slow down just so he can stay at the same speed as me. I rolled my eyes and let my brain fill up for today's previous events. I'm back home in Miami, FL for the first time in a few weeks. Aside from the zombies, it didn't change much. I just buried my parents a few hours ago. I'm crying inside, because I refuse to cry on the outside. I'm just hoping I don't burst into tears when I bury my siblings. The last thing I need is sympathy from Spectre.

Thinking of Spectre, he is Sheila's father? I still can't get over that shock. So…I'm fighting with my best friend's dad? That's very awkward. Although, I will admit he makes a good companion…aside from the subtle flirting. Oh well. Once my mission is done, he can go back to Rayford. I'm going back to Whispering Oaks where I belong. But we do have a lot more in common than I thought. Aside from being human before being turned, we both lost everyone we cared for. Well, at least Sheila's alive. No one in my family survived this apocalypse.

By the time we made it to my old home, the sun was setting. I sighed as I stared at the house for a few seconds. The front door was busted open, thanks to Sir Rambo. Every muscle in my body had to strain to move myself forward. As I stepped into the house, I scanned the living room and sighed. The place was trashed. The couch was ripped apart, the TV was broken, the computer was in pieces, etc. What nearly made me started crying on the outside was finding Joey's bloody and now rotting remains.

Spectre saw me freeze and decided to walk into the backyard. He saw Cindy's dead body, which was half-eaten. He sighed at the sight and whispered, "So young. So depressing."

I gently scraped up Joey's flattened body with my shovel and brought him outside. Spectre sensed me coming, so he turned around to face me. The look on my face was full of sorrow. He knew that this was painful for me to do, but at least I'm doing the task selflessly, despite my depressed expression. I walked into the middle of the yard and gently placed my brother's body on the red grass.

I whispered to myself, "It's taking every ounce of my mind and being not to cry."

Apparently, I chocked a little, causing Spectre to say, "It's ok."

"No, it's not ok. Crying is never ok to me. It shows weakness! I keep my hurt inside, where they belong", I replied as calmly as physically possible.

Spectre sighed and watched me walk over to the well and climb down. I used my claws to slide down to the bottom, using my feet to slow down if I went too fast. About three feet left, I let go and fell the rest of the way down. Landing in about five inches of water, my landing was pretty soft, as well as echoing. My splash echoed up the well and Spectre was able to hear it.

Mary's body was floating in front of me with a cracked open skull. When Detour rode her into the well, she must have fallen head first and hit the bottom very hard to have an injury like that. I sniffled a bit as I grabbed her collar and flung her onto my back. "Hang on, Mary", I whispered to the corpse.

Using one claw to keep her on my back, climbing was going to be a little tougher than I thought. I was able to find creaks in the cement and holds in the rocks, enabling me to climb. But still, climbing one-clawed is difficult.

After about fifteen minutes, I emerged from the well, carrying my sister's dead body. Spectre ran over to me and helped me out of the well. "Why are you helping me?"

He smirked, hoping to lighten the mood a bit, "Why not?"

"You got me", I grumbled, rolling my eyes.

He frowned, "Because I want to. You don't have to do everything by yourself."

I scoffed, "Jesus, you sound just like my father."

He looked down, knowing no matter what he said, it would piss me off in some way. As I walked Mary's body to the center of the yard, I gasped to see three holes in the ground. I turned to Spectre, who smiled and nodded. I cracked a tiny smile, but I was closer to tears than anything. Despite me being a bitch towards him, he still dug the holes for me. It was so sweet, but it also made me feel a little guilty about my attitude towards him.

Spectre brought Cindy's body forward and placed her in one of the holes. He took the shovel and began to cover her body with the loose soil. "Listen", he began to speak, "I know this is very depressing and very hard for you to take, but I think you should say a few words."

I nodded, "I was going to do that. Cindy, my youngest sister, I really wish I could've seen you grow up. Your death was far too early and I wish I could have saved you from Salt Lick's tongue. I know I've always said that I couldn't stand you, but in truth, you were just so hyper and happy, that I was glad for you, even though it became a bit much from time to time. I love you and I'm missing you. Farewell, Cindy." I took a deep breath and exhaled through my nose, trying to keep the water works under control.

When Spectre moved onto Joey's grave, I began speaking, "Joey, my only brother, I was very upset to witness your demise. I knew you looked up to me when things went bad, but it kills me inside to see you die by Sir Rambo's arm and me not able to do anything about it. I feel like I failed you as a role model as well as a sister. I'm deeply sorry and I hope you're up in heaven, watching me survive this ordeal and how much this guilt is eating away at me. Just remember that I love you, Joey. Goodbye, little bro." I closed my eyes, doing my best not to cry as tears began to fill my eyeballs. Taking another deep breath, I opened my eyes again and watched Spectre pat on the dirt with the spade.

Mary's grave was the last and possibly the hardest to speak to. Regardless, I started off strong and slow, "Mary, the second oldest girl in the litter, we clashed all the time when I was living in this house. You and I never got along very well as kids and things didn't seem to get better until I officially moved out of the house. However, despite all of our fights and debates…" my vision began to blur and my speech was getting choppy. "…we always bind together to solve a common problem or survive hard times. Now I really wish we got along more. Detour took you on your last ride and I watched you take the fall. I'm truly sorry…" a few tears made it past my eyelids and began sliding down my face, "…and I love you. Bye, Mary."

At this point, I just broke down. I fell to my knees and placed my face in my claws. Sobbing silently to myself, I felt a lot of pressure getting off my shoulders. I felt Spectre kneel down beside me and placed a claw on my shoulder. All of a sudden, I turned around and embraced him. This shocked him slightly, but didn't discourage him either. In fact, he embraced back, trying to show support and comfort. I did my best to keep his jacket tear-free, but a few made it onto his jacket anyway. He didn't seem to mind it, though.

I pulled away after about two minutes of sobbing. I wiped my eyes clear again and sniffled. "Thanks, Spectre."

"You're welcome, Chris. I know how hard it is to lose your family."

I shook my head, "Not just that. For everything you've done for me. Here, at Rayford, on the road. And despite my bitchiness, you still respect me and help me without a second thought."

He smiled and replied, "I'm happy to do it. You're my only friend now. I'm pretty loyal to a fault."

"I'm glad to hear that", I commented, "Because I was afraid of getting attacked by you if you got pissed off at me."

He shook his head rapidly, "Hell no. I'd never hurt you. Even if you did piss me off. You're my friend and also, my father taught me not to hit a girl."

I chuckled as I stood up, took the shovel and spear-headed it into the soil above the graves. "Right on, Bill. Well, we'll have to spend the night here. Head back to Georgia in the morning."

"Sounds good to me", he commented as he stood up.

We walked back into the house and I ran upstairs into my parents' old room. Spectre was about to follow me inside when I spun around and declared, "This is my room. Go find another one or sleep on the torn-up couch."

He fake pouted, but then chuckled, "Fine. Night, Chris."

"Night, Spectre", I called back as he leaped down the stairs and disappeared from my line of sight.

I closed the door to the room and stepped on something hard. Looking down, it was a book. No; it was a diary. My mother's diary. I cocked an eyebrow and thought, "Wasn't she a little old to be writing in a diary?"

Despite my statement, I picked it up and placed it into my pocket as a reminder of my past life. Yawning, I unzipped my hoodie and hung it on the bed post. I hopped into the bed and felt asleep within seconds. I was dead tired.

_~ Once again, I appeared to be in Rayford. Wasting no time, I shouted, "Bill! Bill!"_

"_Relax, kid. I'm right behind ya", his voice replied._

_I spun around and smiled, "It's good to see you again, my friend. Although, I do have one question."_

_He lit up and replied, "Shoot, Chris."_

"_Why didn't you mention that you had a son!" I barked._

_He stood back a little and replied calmly, "I thought he was KIA. But aside from that, talking about Vincent seemed irrelevant."_

"_Alright. I see your point, but even a line saying 'Oh, I had a son' would've absorbed a little of the shock I got when Spectre told me at your funeral."_

_He shrugged and chuckled, "He looked a lot like me when I was younger. I was a charming lad."_

_I replied with an eye roll, "Good to know."_

"_By the way, thank you, Christina. You did keep your promise", Bill smiled after exhaling a puff of smoke from his mouth._

_I nodded and smiled back, "You're welcome, Bill."_

"_Your family is also very happy to see what you did for them. They trained you right", he quipped._

"_It was tough, but with Spectre's…er…Vincent's help, I was able to do it. So, he should get half credit", I stated. Then a thought hit me, "Oh, speaking of family, what did you meant by saying 'you don't know the truth about your family'? I wanta know, Bill."_

_He inhaled for a long time and exhaled a thin stream of smoke, "I'll just say this: You're not the last of the Starly children. You have a twin brother, very close by."_

_I was shocked. "Another brother? So…I'm not alone."_

_He laughed, "Then what do you call my son? Hardtack?"_

_I chuckled and replied, "Not what I meant. I call your son my friend."_

"_Good. However, Vincent and your brother don't get along very well. That's all I'm going to give you. I hope you can figure it out from that piece of information."_

_I nodded, "I'll figure it out, Bill. In the meantime, I should just relax and get back to Whispering Oaks. Patrols to lead and survivors to kill."_

_The Green Beret nodded, "Very well. Thank you once again for keeping your promise to me."_

"_No problem, Bill. Anything for a friend", I smiled._

_He smiled and winked, "Good. I'll still be watching over you and now that Vincent is with you, I'll watch him too." He inhaled one last time and when he exhaled, he vanished into a cloud of cigarette smoke._

_I rolled my eyes and quipped, "Now I know where Spectre gets his winking habit from." ~_

_**Meanwhile**_

Dwayne and Nick were practicing their aiming on dead zombies. The two began to become friends. However, Jock still isn't very happy with Nick hanging around with his partner.

"Let's take a break, Nick", Dwayne said as he lowered his AK.

He nodded as he watched the barrel of his Assault Rifle smoke. "Alright."

"I'm going to get a beer. You?" the soldier asked.

Nick nodded, "Yes please."

"Cool. I'll be back."

Dwayne walked to the weapons table and placed his AK down. He walked away from the target range and left Nick alone. The con man sat down on the table and watched the dead bodies bleed onto the ground. He smiled at the carnage and thought, "Next time I see those zombies, I'll be ready."

He heard someone approaching him, causing him to look away from the corpses. He expected Dwayne to be back, but it was Sheila. "Hey, Nick."

He smiled, "Hey, Sheila. How's it going?"

"Good, good", then she suddenly grew coy, "Can I talk to you as a friend?"

He nodded as he stood back up, "Sure. Why not?"

"I've known you for a while and I know I can trust you with anything."

Nick's eyes darted side to side as he replied, "Maybe. Depends."

"Con artist or not, you're an honest guy", she stated.

"Not really. What do you want to talk about?" he asked, getting a little uncomfortable.

She replied, "It's about Ellis."

He sighed with relief. "Oh. Ok. Shoot."

"I know that I confessed to him, but lately, he seems distant and oblivious."

"Sounds to me that he needs to be reminded. Give Overalls a hug or something."

She asked, "Can I kiss him?"

"As long as it doesn't escalate to second base", Nick quipped.

She blushed and replied, "Thanks, Nick. I needed that advice."

"No problem, Sheila."

She walked away to find her country boy. Nick grinned a little as he watched her leave. "Young love", he thought, "Only if Chris could see this."

All of a sudden, a strong and painful force connected with Nick's cheek. The force knocked him off his feet and onto the ground. He placed his hand on his swollen cheek and looked up at his attacker. It was Jock. His face was red with fury. His fist was shaking violently. Nick quickly realized that Jock punched him in the cheek. Why he did it, he wasn't sure.

"No con artist is going to upstage me!" the soldier barked at Nick.

Nick tackled him to the ground and punched him in the stomach. Jock groaned while Nick spoke, "I'm not trying to upstage you, Jock!"

Jock kneed him in the balls, causing Nick to squeal in pain. The soldier then rolled over Nick's body and grabbed his collar. Jock lifted Nick to his feet and wrapped his arm around his neck. Nick was losing oxygen fast, so he thrashed and struggled, hoping that Jock will loosen his grip. Jock hissed in Nick's ear, "That's bullshit. You and your band are trying to make the rest of us look bad! We've been training for years and you come around and blast our Sarge away with your fuckin' skills!"

Nick began to feel a little light-headed. His vision blurred and his body began to feel weak. He wheezed, "Not my fault you can't see true skills on your side…" Nick passed out from the lack of oxygen.

"Nick? Bro? Speak to me, brother!" Ellis's voice broke through the darkness of Nick's mind.

Nick's eyes fluttered open, seeing Ellis hovering his body, along with Dwayne, Sheila and Francis. He groaned and began coughing.

"Are you ok?" Sheila asked as she helped him sit up.

He nodded groggily, while coughing. "I've been better."

"What happened, Nick?" Francis asked. This was the first time Francis actually called Nick by his first name and not by a childish insult.

"It's all a painful blur. Jock did this to me."

Dwayne kneeled down and helped Nick to his feet, "We know. Jock is getting punished by Sarge. I think he wants to apologize."

Jock walked over to the group. Nick grew a tad bit defensive. Jock raised his hand to him, "Relax, Nick. I'm not here to hurt ya. In fact, I was thinking about what you said, before you blacked out."

Francis asked, "What did ya say?"

"I can't remember, Francis."

Jock replied, "You said 'Not my fault you can't see true skills on your side.' You're right. I was blinded by my years of training and problems with the army that I was acting like a cocky asshole. But we are humans fighting a common enemy: zombies. We should be fighting them, not each other. I'm sorry, Nick." He raised his hand to the con man.

Nick grinned and grabbed Jock's offered hand, "Couldn't have said it better myself."

"Nice. Now who has the beer?" Ellis quipped.

Sheila chuckled and replied, "Doesn't Dwayne have the beer?"

"The fridge is empty. No beer", Dwayne shrugged.

The men gasped and Francis shouted, "To the Hummer! Must get more beer!" The men hooted as they ran out of the camp and into the Hummer.

As the Hummer drove away, Sheila shook her head and quipped, "Guys will be guys. Especially when it comes to beer."

**Sir Rambo: Damn it! When will the other half of the team go on?**

**Coach: I don't know. But Chris and Spectre are going back to Whisperin' Oaks. Maybe then.**

**Sir Rambo: I hope so. Five more reviews! **

**Coach: Once again, Spectre does not belong to the writer of this story. He belongs to ****A little help here****. She apologizes if he's a bit out of character.**

**Sir Rambo: Why?**

**Coach: She wants Spectre to fit his personality because he doesn't belong to her. We just went through this!**

**Sir Rambo: Whatever.**


	7. Chapter 7

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 7: Love Knows No Bounds**_

I yawned as we walked along the car-littered streets. We just crossed the city limit of Savannah, GA. Ellis's hometown. I've been here a few times, but strictly on business. The fact that zombies, potholes, and fires were everywhere made Savannah nearly unrecognizable.

My yawn made Spectre ask, "Tired?"

"No", I yawned again, causing my friend to cock an eyebrow, "Maybe."

He chuckled, "Yes you are. Let's stop for a second. Even my legs are beginning to hurt."

"Whatever, Spectre", I grumbled.

We came across a burning hotel, which made both of us stop and look up. "Damn. I'd hate to be stuck up there", I commented as we watched commons fall to their deaths.

"Yeah. The sad thing is that this building has been burning for weeks and it's still slightly sound", Spectre added.

I whipped my head towards him, "You're horse-shittin' me, right?"

Spectre laughed heartily as he looked at me and replied, "No. I'm not", then he cleared his throat and continued, "Strange as it seems, yes, it's been burning for a while now. I guess the sprinkler systems are keeping the fire at bay, but not extinguishing it either."

"Ok then. Moving on", I yawned again. I wasn't bored with Spectre's talk; I was getting more tired than I wanted.

Spectre yawned as well and quipped, "Thanks, Chris. Now I'm yawning."

I shrugged as I began staggering aimlessly away from the hotel. However, something shiny caught my attention. I looked up at the building again and saw that it wasn't the sun's reflection bouncing off glass; it was something else. Without another thought, I yawned for the last time and pulled an adrenaline shot off my belt that I hid using my hoodie.

Spectre asked as I stuck myself in the hip with it, "Where did you get that?"

"I kept it ever since we crossed the border into Georgia", I answered, full of energy. I tossed the empty needle away and zipped through the safe room and into the hotel's lobby. Spectre whistled at my sudden burst of energy and followed me inside. Smoke erupted through the doors to the kitchen. "Bingo", I thought.

I ran into the kitchen and was shocked to see the whole kitchen engulfed in flames. "Shit", I responded to the situation. Regardless, I took a deep breath and began leaping from one spot to the other, doing my best to avoid the fire. Spectre cheated; he can vanish using his ability and reappear without breaking a sweat.

By the time I found the elevator and escaped Hell's kitchen, I walked inside and heard Spectre gripe, "Technically, you're not suppose to use an elevator in a fire."

"I know. That's why I'm taking a different route", I replied as I popped the hatch on the roof of the elevator. I hopped up and saw the cable that enabled the elevator to go up and down. "Just like the rope in gym class", I quipped to myself as I leaped high and grabbed the cable. It rocked under my momentum from the leap, so I wanted a few seconds before it settled down again. Taking another deep breath, I began to shimmy up the cable up into the upper floors.

About ten minutes of climbing, I reached floor 10 and could not move a centimeter more. My arms were screaming in pain, locked in a position that refused to move forward. My breath was hollow as sweat beaded down my face. "Shit. Note to self: Take the stairs."

Suddenly, an explosion erupted above me, causing the cable to rock violently. I held on tight and ducked my head under my forearm, protecting my face from any debris or fire. I heard fire crackling above my head and the straining of metal. "Am I suddenly on the 'Poseidon'?" I quipped darkly to myself. My attitude turned for the worst when I heard the cable beginning to strain and snap. I gasped as I looked down into the darkness from which I came from. "Oh shit!" I shouted, hearing my voice echo through the shaft.

A small beam of light emerged behind me. A faint, straining growl was heard through the fire and metal. The light spread wider and brighter, causing me to look behind me, while still clinging on to the cable for dear life. The growling figure was Spectre, even though he was in pure silhouette. He was opening the doors to floor 10 with a crowbar. When the doors were open all the way, he huffed in exhaustion and commanded, "Chris! Leap towards me!"

I barked, then coughed, "Are you fuckin' crazy?"

"Yes!"

I growled a curse to myself and began swing on the cable towards the edge. Once my feet made contact with the opposite wall, I let the cable go as I sprang forward at great velocity. Spectre tried to catch me, but I ended up pinning him to the carpeted floor. Even for a pounce, I was able to knock him down onto the floor, as if he was a survivor, but half normal size bigger. What an awkward moment it was.

We looked back and noticed the cable snapping in front of our eyes. I gasped, realizing if I hesitated a second longer, I would take the dark and very painful purge down into the abyss. I should thank my lucky stars that Spectre's quick-thinking saved my life. I sighed with relief.

Spectre cleared his throat and replied, "You can get off me now."

My eyes snapped back to him and I sheepishly chuckled as I hopped off. "Sorry."

"No worries", he responded as he sat up and cracked his back. "Consider yourself lucky that I found you when I did."

"I know. Thank you very much. Now I really wish I took the stairs."

He laughed and stated, "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you're alive. The last thing I want is to have my only friend die."

I nodded and struggled to stand up. It's clear to see that my shot has expired and now, I'm in a crash. Spectre didn't look like he was in the best of health either. He was looking just as tired and weak as me. Maybe coming up here was a bad idea. It's not my first time having a bad idea either.

Spectre stood up on shaky legs and asked, "Where to now?"

I almost said, "To the stars" but thank God I quickly hit my head against the wall. "Up, I guess. Let's take the stairs."

"Good idea", he grumbled.

We dragged up the stairs until we got to floor 15. Beyond it was the roof. We both were nearly crawling due to lack of energy, but regardless, we make it to the 'shiny' room. The shiny object was on the dresser right beside the window. I walked up to it and noticed that it was a watch. Not just any watch; it was a Rolex watch with the initials 'N.R' engraved on the back. "Nick's watch", I whispered.

"Who's watch?" Spectre asked.

"My old friend's watch. His name was Nick", I replied as I strapped the watch onto my left wrist.

Spectre thought for a second and asked, "Is he the guy in the white suit?"

I nodded sadly, "Yeah. That's him."

He began laughing and replied, "He's such a whiner! When he and the others went through Rayford, he did not shut up about the sewers or the biker on the bridge. Man, he was funny. So was the Southern kid."

"Wait…you mean Ellis?"

"Yeah. The kid with the ball cap, yellowish shirt, and overalls. He and Nick have a certain connection."

I chuckled, "Ellis is friendly to a fault, while Nick is…well…Nick. He's like me."

Spectre shook his head, "Nick can't be like you. You're not that big of a whiner. You're friendly, loyal, cooperative, and full of heart…"

"…only because you got to know me. At first, I would appear to be a bitchy woman. You see what's underneath this rough and stubborn exterior. Same goes with Nick. He may be whiny, but he's much more underneath. He's sweet, thoughtful, funny, smart, resourceful, risk-taking…"

Spectre raised his claw and replied, "I get it. It sounds like you were in love with the guy."

I scratched the back of my neck and thought, "Can I really say that in front of Spectre? No. Not the smartest thing to do." I did say out loud, "It doesn't matter now. Nick's gone, safe and sound. Along with Sheila and Ellis." Strange, perverted thoughts entered my mind when I said their names together. I shuttered and grumbled, "If Ellis goes too far, I hope I taught Sheila to bring him to his knees."

Spectre cocked an eyebrow, "Taught?"

"Sheila has me…well had me as the closest female figure in her life, thanks to you and your wife's little stunt. I taught her how to fight guys if she was in danger. However, I'm positive that Ellis won't take advantage of her. He's too much of a gentleman for that. Unlike his dog of a brother, Alex. Now he's a different story. Anyway, I would consider myself to be Sheila's unofficial guardian, best friend, and older sister."

The chimera yawned as he leaned against the bed, "Well, I'm certainly glad that she had you as a friend. I'm glad to hear that she didn't grow up friendless."

I nodded and suddenly, we both heard crying in the other room. "Witch", I whispered. Spectre nodded as he stood back up from his leaning position. I was way too weak and tired to pick a fight with a witch. Spectre, however, had other plans.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He picked up Bill's Assault rifle off his back (which he had on his back the whole time) and grinned, "I'm going to break the support of the room and that witch will be buried under all of the rubble."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Will that even work?"

"Darling, trust me. It will", he laughed. He aimed for the support of the witch's room and fired. The bullets ripped through beam as if it was paper. The next thing I heard was a squeal and then collapsing wood, plaster, and cement. Spectre chuckled as he placed his father's gun back on his back. "Squishy witchy."

I was amazed at the destruction he was able to cause within seconds. Holy hell. I just stared at the small hole in the wall, where the beam was blasted. "Whoa", was all I could say.

Suddenly, there was this long metal item zoomed past my face. Spectre caught it…with his chest. He fell against the wall, gurgling on blood. A strange creature approached the chimera. It was smaller than a Tank, but bigger than Spectre. Long, pointy, javelin-like objects adorned into his back. He looked like a humanoid porcupine.

I gasped, "Spectre! No!" On pure instinct, I leaped in front of Spectre's body and snarled at the creature. "Back off, spiky!" I hissed viciously.

The creature looked down at me and laughed. "I'm not here for you, little one", he stated in a metallic voice.

"You mess with one of my friends, then you mess with me!" I declared.

The creature growled and replied, "Oh well then. I won't let some bitch stand in my way of my bounty."

He swung his shrapnel-impaled arm at me, but I ducked and countered with a slash to his forearm. He screeched, but didn't back away. "What the hell are you?" I growled.

"I'm a Haggard. A very rare Special Infected and one of the toughest to defeat. You are going to be my next victim, little Hunter!"

"I don't think so, you walking pin cushion!" I hissed as I pounced onto his face. He snarled and tried to shake me off, but I dug my claws into his shoulders and held on for dear life. He stopped thrashing around like a rodeo bull and pulled out one of his javelins and used it to pry me off his face. I hopped to the ground and the javelin went through my left shoulder.

I screamed in pain as I stumbled back and tripped over Spectre's out-stretched leg. I hit the wall and the javelin was pushed out of my shoulder. As I clenched onto my shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding long enough for my skin to regenerate, I looked at Spectre and gasped.

His head slouched forward, holding Bill's Assault rifle in his long claws. The javelin was sticking out of his chest, barely missing his heart and right lung. A big puddle of blood pooled around him. He was completely silent. Vincent Overbeck, my friend, is dead.

Rage, sorrow, and adrenaline filled my veins as my breathing grew rapid. My eyes grew blurry and red, as my vision grew dark red with anger. The Haggard smiled that his 'bounty' was dead. Fueled by rage, I screeched loudly as I leaped at the creature again and began ripping into his flesh as if I was a rabid wolf. He tried using another javelin, but I was prepared this time. I leaped onto his back, stabbing himself in the jugular vein.

He bellowed in agony as he pulled the weapon out of his neck. I took the javelin that was in my shoulder and stabbed him in the back with it. This time, it went into his heart and broke through the sternum. His breathing became labored as he turned towards me clenching my bloody claws. "Time to meet your fuckin' maker!" I snarled as I charged towards him. Behind him was a window, so I knew with enough force would send him through and make him fall to his death. "For Spectre!" I bellowed as I tackled the metal brute with impressive speed and power. The Haggard was swept off his feet and crashed through the glass. Before he took the plunge, he grabbed a hold of my leg, dragging me out the window with him. I yelped and clung onto the window pane. The beast refused to let go, causing my arms to strain and shards of glass sliced into my claws. I growled and thought, "This is it."

All of a sudden, a long tongue came out of the room and wrapped around my torso. "Huh?" I said as I heard over voices in the room. I looked up and saw Detour, Sir Rambo, Abby, and Scar. I was so happy to see them.

Scar commanded, "Abby, spit onto the Haggard. Detour and Rambo, pull her up."

They nodded and Abby leaned over the edge and shot acid onto the Haggard's hand. He screeched and bellowed in agony as the acid ate through his flesh and burned his nerves. He finally let go, screaming all the way down, until he became a pile of goo and metal on the asphalt.

"Hold on, Chris!" Detour barked at me, "We got ya!"

I felt my body being slowly lifted up into the room again. I collapsed onto the floor, bleeding and panting. I looked up and saw how angry Scar looked. He growled a command I caught half of. Salt Lick and Sir Rambo looked each other and then at Spectre's dead body. I wheezed as I dragged my body in front of his. Before I got a chance to say anything, I blacked out. I fell onto his lap, almost indicting to everyone that I refuse to leave Spectre's body here.

_~ "Bill!" I screamed as I ran through the Rayford streets, desperate to find the Green Beret. "Bill!"_

_He appeared in front of me, causing me to pounce him unintentionally. "Shit! What the hell, Christina!" he barked._

_I leaped off him and retorted, "Sorry, but next time, give me enough space to stop or slow down."_

"_Will do. Why are you screaming?" he asked as he stood back up and pulled out Menthol. _

_I began talking frantically, "Vincent's dead! I don't know what happened, but this strange metal porcupine of a zombie came out of nowhere and threw a long javelin into your son's chest! I fought the thing on pure rage and nearly got myself killed. I killed it and I passed out. That's the last thing I remember. But he's dead, Bill. Your son and my friend is dead!"_

_Bill seemed to be too relaxed to take such news. "Are you sure about that?"_

"_I'm dead positive! He wasn't breathing, moving, nothing!" I shouted._

"_Relax, Chris", Bill said, realizing I was hyperventilating. _

"_How can I relax, Bill? I watched your son die before my eyes! How come every time I care for someone, they made up dead! My family, Vincent. Who's next?"_

_Bill whacked me in the head with his Magnum. I growled, but didn't attack him. "Calm down, damn it! Now listen to me! My son has a very unique gift. He has the ability to be 'reborn'."_

"_Reborn?" I asked while rubbing the bump on my head._

"_Yes. When you wake up, I'm sure that he'll be alive. In fact, I'll bet ya that he's alive."_

_I grinned my gambler's grin, "Very well. If I win, then you must tell me who my brother is."_

_He nodded, but smirked, "Very well. But if I win, you must admit that you care for my son."_

_I scoffed, "Like Hell I do. Deal."_

"_Good. I'll be looking forward to winning this wager", the ghostly veteran chuckled. He disappeared through his cigarette smoke, leaving me alone._

"_Great. Now what?" I huffed. _

_A scrawny figure cackled from behind me. Even though the figure was in pure silhouette, his attire and weapon gave it all away. Raggy sweater, fedora, claws on his right hand. He walked up to me and whispered, "Are you ready-"_

"_If you end that with 'for Freddy', then I'm going to kick you so hard in the fucking balls", I warned._

_He stood up straight and huffed, "You're no fun, bitch."~_

"Hey! Chris!" a voice sliced through the darkness of my mind. I groaned and began rubbing my eyes. I sighed and slowly opened them, scanning my immediate area. Lazerlemon was hovering over me. He smiled and hugged me, "I knew you'd be ok! No one can take you down!"

"I wish that was true, buddy", I coughed. Looking past his shoulder, I noticed how dark it was and how hard the floor was. Lights were on, illuming the area around me. I sighed; I'm back at Whispering Oaks. "What happened?"

"After you passed out, Brawn was able to carry you and this other Hunter back here", the young blonde Hunter replied.

I sat up immediately, "Where did Brawn take the other body, Lazerlemon?"

He was taken aback by my urgent tone. "Scar has the body. Why?"

I didn't bother answering him. I pulled out of his hug and ran to the control room. I barged in, seeing Scar growling at a figure in the shadows. My entrance caused Scar to stop and look at me. "Chris. You're finally awake. That Haggard took a lot out of you didn't it?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle, Scar", I answered as I grabbed my head. I felt the room spinning. "Damn. I didn't know I had vertigo."

The figure in the shadows stepped into the light and chuckled, "Sit down, Chris."

I turned groggily towards the figure and noticed that it was Spectre. My eyes went wide and I gasped softly. "How did you…? I saw you…You weren't…" I was so excited and shocked at the same time, explaining my incomplete sentences. Unable to control myself, a smile plastered onto my face as I shouted happily, "I can't believe that you're alive!"

Spectre laughed as he approached me, earning a small growl from Scar. Spectre looked back at Scar and growled, "Relax, will ya? All I'll be doing is talking to her. Is that a problem?"

"Yes", the Hunter replied.

I was confused, "Wait a second. Did I miss something here?"

Scar growled at me, "Why didn't you go to Rayford, Chris?"

"What? I did go to Rayford."

"But not to attack survivors, hmm?" Scar cocked an eyebrow and bared some of his teeth.

I shook my head, "No. I wanted to cremate a body, and then I went to Miami to…"

Scar sharply interrupted me, "Why did you go to Miami! Your family is dead! There's nothing for you there anymore!"

I crossed my arms across my chest and exhaled through my nose, "Well, Spectre and I were able to kill a group of survivors in Miami. A group of five."

"I would've been more impressed if you tackled all five of them by yourself. If I'm remembering correctly, Spectre would set his plans up for him to get the body count", Scar grumbled as his eye sockets narrowed towards the chimera.

Spectre growled, "I'm not that selfish. She got a few kills. For a Hunter under _your_ wing, Scar, she's incredibly talented." I blushed at his compliment and pulled my hood down over my face to hide it. Why am I blushing all the time?

Scar retorted, "Because I trained her right. I did! I bit her, I trained her and I'm planning to protect her from the likes of you!"

"Why are you so protective of her, huh?" Spectre snarled.

"That's none of your fucking business!" Scar hissed. Then he turned to me, "As for you, Christina. I forbid you to be near him!"

I snarled back, "Why should I? You don't control me!"

"Chris, you don't know Spectre like I do. He's a merciless killer with an extremely short fuse, who will kill you without a second thought."

I scowled at Scar, "Don't know him? I've spent the last week with him! You may see the brutal side, but I don't! I saw the other side of him. The survivor side. I've had enough of this. You're not my father and you can't tell me what to do!" I ran out of the control room and hopped onto the stage. "Guys. I can't stand them!"

Lazerlemon, who was chilling around talking to Sir Rambo, looked up at me, "What happened? What did Scar say?"

"He said that I should stay away from Spectre", I answered.

"Who?" the Hunter asked.

Sir Rambo answered his question, "Scar's rival. One third Hunter, one third witch, and one third Tank. A major beast on the battlefield. He's an ex-Marine before he was infected."

"There's no such thing as an ex-Marine" Spectre appeared next to me. Lazerlemon leaped out of his over-sized hoodie and got behind the Charger.

I laughed, "Relax, Lazerlemon. This is Spectre." I turned to Spectre, "This is the Hunter pup that my team adopted. His name is Lazerlemon."

He whispered near my ear, "Who came up with the name?"

"Alex did", I whispered back.

"He is…?"

"Ellis's brother."

"Oh! That makes sense."

Lazerlemon looked at the chimera with cautious eyes. Spectre seemed friendly towards me, but if he is rivals with Scar, then siding with one or the other will not only be difficult, but also dangerous.

Sir Rambo glared at Spectre and growled at him, "You know you shouldn't be here."

"I know I shouldn't, but I choose to be here", he coolly replied.

"Scar won't be happy seeing you still in his territory. Especially being so close to Chris."

"Like I care", the chimera huffed, "Scar can't control everything…and everyone." He gave me a sideways glance.

The Charger retorted, "The least a rogue like you can do is show respect for our leader." He stood up and rudely brushed past Spectre, who accidently bumped into me. I knew it was an accident, so I didn't get upset or mad at it.

Spectre narrowed his eyes at Sir Rambo, watching the Charger leave the stage. Once he was out of sight, Spectre asked me, "Are you ok? Sorry about that."

"It's cool. I'm ok", I assured him.

He sighed as he stared up at the control room, "Scar wants respect? Then he should respect me!"

I rolled my eyes as I said, "I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as no line is crossed or no blood has been shed, I'm sure this rivalry can be kept to a minimum."

Lazerlemon perked, "My thoughts exactly. The last thing we need is a war among ourselves."

I chuckled, "It's called a civil war, Lazerlemon." The young Hunter just shrugged.

Spectre nodded, "That's right. I don't want a civil war among us. Sadly, I still think it's best that I stay out of Scar's way." He turned towards me and asked, "Chris, want to escort me out of here?"

I was a little stunned by his request, but nodded regardless, "Yeah. Ok. Sure."

He smiled as he watched me hop off the stage. He turned to Lazerlemon and said, "It was nice meeting you, Lazerlemon. I hope I see you in the future."

Still unsure of him, Lazerlemon shyly, but politely nodded his hooded head. "Ditto."

He nodded back and hopped down. He trotted over to me and I led him out of the stadium. He asked, "Are you ok? You seem rather quiet."

His voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Huh? Oh yeah. I was just thinking."

"About what?" he asked as he walked a little closer to me.

"Like how you can back from the dead! I know we're zombies now, but still! Seeing you die…" my eyes began to feel glossy, so I looked down at the ground as we walked, "…it fueled my rage and need for vengeance."

He replied, "I heard you went ape-shit on that creature. I have a unique ability to have my heart restart. It happened to me six times."

"Six times!" I gasped, finally looking up at him, despite my blurry eyes, "How's that even possible?"

He smiled while subtly pointing to his eyes. I quickly caught the message and wiped my eyes on my sleeve. He answered in a light tone, "Let's just say that God won't take me and the Devil is scared that I'll take over."

I chuckled a little and stated, "That reminds me of a quote from the movie 'Halloween'. It was Sam Loomis that said 'I prayed that he'd burn in Hell, but in my heart, I knew that Hell would not have him!'"

Spectre laughed, "You quoted a horror movie for me?"

I smirked, "You're talking to the Queen of Horror, my friend. I grew up on horror movies. And Star Wars."

"Nice!" We approached the park entrance, which made me stop. "What's wrong?"

I replied on-the-spot, "Nothing. I just respect the territories. That is all."

He smirked, "I call bullshit. It's about that con man, isn't it?"

I froze in place and gulped. He bore his icy blue eyes into mine, making it very hard to think of a lie. "No!" He cocked an eyebrow. "Maybe." He crossed his arms over his chest. I cracked. "Ok! Yes!"

He sighed gently, "Chris, I know losing someone you love is horrible and it hurts. I lost my wife to this apocalypse. But I was able to finally let go and move on. Be happy that your guy is alive and safe."

"His name is Nick", I sadly grumbled.

"Sorry. His name escapes me every time. Anyway, let him go. I'm sure he's grateful for what you did for your sacrifice. And I'm also sure he's moved on by now. You should too."

I sighed deeply and nodded, "You're right, Spectre. I need to let him go. That's what he would want me to do." Then I thought, "I should really stop getting so attached to people. Attachment leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

He smiled and gently kissed me on my covered forehead. "Damn straight."

I stiffened slightly. He smirked, winked and vanished into the darkness. Unknown to us, there were two witnesses that saw Spectre's little stunt.

"Oh…my…God!" a female voice squealed, startling me out of my stupor.

I spun around and saw Chloe coming out of the shadows. "Chloe. Damn, you scared me."

The witch approached me with a huge grin on her face. "I saw that."

"Saw what?" I asked with a very faint blush.

"I saw Spectre kiss you!"

I shrugged as if it was no big deal. In truth, it really was. "So? Scream a little louder. I don't think the commons on the freeway heard you."

"Funny. Do you know what that means?" I shrugged, trying to act uninterested in her answer. "It means that he really likes you! And I can tell you like him too."

I took a step back, clearly shocked, "What? No! I don't like him like that! I met him in Rayford a week ago and we've been friends ever since."

She scoffed, "Yeah right! I heard you passed out on top of his body in Savannah."

My blush deepened as I growled, "Who told you?"

She smirked, knowing that I was blushing. "Salt Lick told me. Scar wasn't very happy when that happened. He went against his hostile instincts when he saved Spectre's skin."

"He did?" I asked, now completely interested in this topic. "I knew Scar and Spectre were rivals, but I didn't know that they were hostile towards each other."

Chloe nodded, "Yeah. Both of them have always been that way, but now a new element emerged that spurs the fires once again: you."

"Me?" I asked, confused.

"Well, think about it, Chris. Scar is twice as protective of you now that you met Spectre." She walked next to me and whispered near my ear, "Between you and me, Scar was stalking you two."

I gasped, "What? He was!"

She nodded, "Yeah. He was acting like a very overbearing, jealous boyfriend."

"Or an older brother", I added. An idea popped into my head: can Scar be my brother?

Chloe shrugged, "Regardless, Scar really cares for you and with your interaction with Spectre, he'll attack your chimera without a second thought."

"He's not my chimera!" I barked.

"Keep lying to yourself, Chris", she giggled, "but deep inside your black Hunter heart, you really, _really_ want him."

She walked away, giggling to herself. I huffed at her, "Yeah right. When Jockeys can fly!"

All of a sudden, Detour soars above my head, cackling and hollering through the air. He landed on a car in the parking lot, setting the alarm off. I face-palmed and grumbled, "I hope that's not a bad omen."

The second witness was Scar, who was invisible and out of sight, like a Predator. He growled lowly to himself and thought, "Spectre better not cross the line with her. I'll have his head on a spike if he does!" The vicious Hunter leader retreated into the darkness with his head full of ideas for torturing his rival if he ever plans on taking me away from him.

Spectre curled up in the back of a black Hummer One about a mile away from the park entrance. He gently licked his lips, while replaying the kiss in his mind. He also noticed that his lips didn't come in contact with flesh; it was cotton. He racked his mind to find out what it was. It was the head band that I won from Nick. It still covered my scar on my forehead.

Spectre didn't know what its purpose was. He thought, "Why does she wear that? Is it a fashion thing or is she hiding something? I'll figure it out tomorrow." With a small yawn, he rested his head on his arm and lulled himself to sleep.

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Alright people!" Coach barked while Nick, Ellis, Sheila, and Ro were getting suited up. "Do we all know the plan?"

Nick and Sheila groaned, for they have heard the plan about hundred times. "Coach, I can say that we can do this with our eyes closed!" Nick griped.

Ro and Ellis, however, were still very fuzzy on the details. Ellis innocently raised his hand and sheepishly asked, "We're going to Pennsylvania to kick some zombie ass?"

Sheila stated, "In a way, yes. However, it's more than just kicking zombie ass. We have to liberate Mercy hospital for them so we can have a better sweep of the area and use the hospital as a stronghold and more obviously, a hospital. This is a big deal, Ellis."

The redneck nodded with understanding. "Gotcha. That makes more sense. Thanks, Sheila."

"You're welcome, Ellis."

Ro tied the laces on her combat boots and asked, "Are Zoey, Francis, Louis, and Alex coming along with us?"

Nick teased, "Why? So you can be with your grease ball biker?"

"Shut up, Nick!" she barked, blushing at Nick's comment. "All I'm saying is that they know the area better than us, I figured at they would be on this attack run."

Coach shrugged, "I don't know. I know that Dwayne and Jock won't be helping us. With just the five of us, though, I'm sure we can manage without their help."

"Ro does have a point", Sheila commented, "We're going into a bigger setting than in the South. We're going into a city. Without a proper guide, we can easily get lost."

"That's why Zoey and I will be helping you guys", a voice called behind them. They turned around to see Louis, in full combat gear, standing in the entrance to the tent. Right beside him was Zoey, also decked out, ready to fight.

Ellis beamed, "Sweet! The more, the merrier!"

Zoey sighed, "Unfortunately, Sheila and Ro will have to be our back-up units. They will be in a helicopter, along with Francis and Alex, and you guys will need to propel from the chopper if we need you."

Both Sheila and Ro turned pale at the mere thought of propelling. "Come again?" Ro asked with fear in her voice.

Louis laughed, "Don't worry, you two. Zoey's just kidding. You won't be propelling down, but you might have to come to our aid if things get too overwhelming."

"Ok. Don't scare us like that, Zoey", Sheila grumbled. Zoey just shrugged and ushered the group onto a waiting helicopter, piloted by Alex. The flight will be about an hour and a half long, so the team relaxed as the chopper sliced through the clouds.

Alex piloted the chopper on a roof of an apartment building that was near the hospital. The hospital roof itself was crawling with zombies. There would be no way to safely land the chopper without ruining it. Nick, Coach, Ellis, Zoey, and Louis hopped out of the chopper, leaving Sheila, Ro, Francis, and Alex on board. The assault group watched the chopper take into the sky again before scanning their surroundings.

Zoey and Louis recognized this rooftop almost immediately. Zoey looked down and saw the white S.O.S painted on the asphalt roof. She grew sad, thinking of her team's lost comrade, but Louis walked over to her and said, "Come on, Zoey. We need to be strong. For Bill."

She nodded and smiled at her friend, "You're right, Louis. Let's do this for Bill."

Nick called, "Louis! You're the scout, so please scout the way."

He nodded and led the team down into the apartment, warning them to watch every hall way for any zombies that can ambush them. They approached the kitchen with the huge hole in the floor. Ellis whistled and asked in good humor, "Nick, were you here before? Did you go a little crazy with that grenade launcher?"

The con artist rolled his eyes and replied, "Yeah and I was bombing your mother, Overalls."

The hick didn't take that to offence, because he knew Nick was only joking. Louis and Zoey hopped down with ease and instantly got attacked. Nick and Coach hopped down to help them, leaving Ellis on top of the hole, shooting with his sniper. However, he was vulnerable to zombie attacks. A Smoker saw Ellis alone and grinned evilly as it wrapped its long rope-like tongue around the redneck's waist. "Shit! Smoker!"

Coach and Louis tried to climb back out of the hole to save him, but it was far too hazardous, as well as not possible. There were no foot holds, making the hole a chokepoint. Nick, on the other hand, had an idea. "Get out of the way! Ellis! Drop to the ground!"

Miraculously, the sniper heard his friend bark the command, so he obeyed, just in time to see a grenade shoot up from the hole, over Ellis's head and into the Smoker's torso. The explosion slightly scorched his back, causing him to grunt in pain as he stood back up and joined with the others.

"Thanks Nick. That was quick thinking", he commented as Zoey checked his back for major injuries, such as second-degree burns or shrapnel shards.

"No problem, Ellis", Nick replied.

Zoey quickly examined his red back and announced, "No major burns or scrapes. Your back is a little singed, but nothing a little cooling cream can't fix. The safe room isn't that far from here."

"Zoey's right. Think you can walk the rest of the way?" Louis asked.

Ellis nodded as he rolled his shirt back down and slightly wincing as the cotton rubbed against his tender skin. "Yeah. I can do that."

"Good. Let's go", Coach ushered.

Despite the uncomfortable pain he was in, Ellis was able to keep up with the rest of the group. Despite the original plan of stopping in the first safe room at the bottom of the apartment building, Louis and Nick scouted ahead and cleared a way to the subway, while Coach covered Zoey as she rubbed cooling aliment on Ellis's back. It stung, which caused Ellis to whimper and complain like a little kid. Zoey had to hit him in the head a few times.

"Where are they?" Nick groaned with impatience.

Louis shrugged, "I don't know, Nick. Don't worry. I'm sure they're fine."

Everyone on the team had a camera headset, which enables communication among teammates. Static rang into Louis's ear as Zoey tried to talk, "…Louis…are…you…zzz…zzz…near…"

"Can you repeat that, Zoey? I've got a lot of static on my end."

"…zzz…whack…headzzz…against…zzz…hard…surface…"

Louis took off his headset and whacked it against the wall. When he put it back on, he heard Zoey growl, "Damn, that hurt my ears!"

"Well, at least it worked. Thanks for the tip", Louis replied innocently.

"Anyway", she grumbled, "are you near the subway entrance?"

Louis nodded, "Yes, Nick and I are at the subway entrance. Where are you guys?"

Zoey replied, "You can thank Ellis for our tardiness."

In the background, Louis heard Ellis bark, "Hey!" Louis had to snicker.

"We're on our way now. Meet you two in a few minutes", Zoey declared.

"Roger that", Louis smiled.

Once the conversation was over, Nick asked, "What did Zoey say?"

Louis replied, "She said its Ellis's fault." Nick chuckled light-heartedly. "And, they're on their way now."

"That's good", Nick sighed with relief. "I only have so much patience."

Louis nodded in agreement and watched for any zombies, but more importantly, their teammates. About two minutes later, they saw three figures coming out of the shadows and fog. In defense, Nick lifted his Assault rifle to his eyes and waited for the figures to get closer. One of them waved its arm in the air and shouted, "Don't shoot, Nick!"

Nick lowered his rifle and shouted, "You can never be too careful."

It was Zoey who waved Nick down. As they approached the duo, a Boomer waddled out of the alley behind Nick and Louis and attempted to puke on them. Zoey saw it coming and in a flash, pulled out one of her pistols and shot it in the head. The men were shocked by her speed and accuracy. She cockily blew into the barrel, Clint Eastwood style and said, "Come on, guys. Let's go."

As they ran down the stairs into the subway, several zombies were just loitering near walls and cars, as if they were normal people. However, they weren't fooling the team. They opened fire on the undead civilians and advanced through the subway cars.

Unlucky for them, there was a witch in the middle of the aisle, crying to herself. The team froze in place, staying as quiet as physically possible. Finally, Zoey asked Louis quietly, "What now?"

Louis had an idea. Without making much sound, he placed his weapon onto his back and climbed onto the seats. He carefully walked across the seats and safely made it behind the witch. He took a few steps backwards and ushered the rest to follow him.

Nick went next, followed shortly by Zoey. Coach followed her and Ellis covered the rear. The redneck lost his balance and grabbed the rail above his head. His body was nearly in the witch's face, causing his teammates to hold their breaths with fear. Ellis's eyes widened as the witch began to move her head up. Ellis turned pale as the witch's red, glowing eyes went up and saw the hanging survivor in front of her. "Aww shit", he whimpered.

The witch slowly began to rise to her feet; her crying began to sound like growling. Her claws spread out as she screamed at Ellis, ready to slash him into bits. Thankfully, Coach thought quickly on his feet and used his SPAS to blow the witch's head apart. Some of the blood and brains splattered onto Ellis's camo uniform. The body flopped to the side, her claws still slightly twitching.

Ellis let his feet swing to the floor and he finally exhaled, "Thanks Coach. I thought I was dead for sure."

"You're welcome, young'un", he replied.

Nick rolled his eyes, "Ellis, does your whole family have a lack of balance?"

"Ha, ha Nick", Ellis mocked as he took his ball cap off, smoothed out his already-scruffy hair, and put it back on his head.

Coach lightly hit both men on their shoulders and growled, "Enough, you two. Let's go."

When the team finally emerged from the subway, the streets were covered in zombies. "Hole-ly shit", Ellis gasped.

Coach switched his SPAS for his M60 and commanded, "Ellis, snipe from that truck. Louis and Zoey, you cover him. Nick, you're with me. Let's kill these bastards."

Everyone nodded as they got into their positions. Ellis climbed up into the bed of a truck while Louis and Zoey covered him from behind. Nick held his Assault rifle tight as he and Coach ran out into the open and let the bullets fly. Every zombie in the area went after the 'easy targets' while some did break off from the main group and went after Ellis. Fortunately, they missed the fact that he had protection.

One zombie was actually smart enough to sneak up behind Nick and grab onto his arm. His surprised yelp turned into a scream as he saw the undead cannibal sink its teeth into his arm. Ellis saw his friend was in trouble so he head-shot his attacker. Nick examined the damage. Barely any blood on his uniform, but a few puncture holes were seen. "Shit", he grunted.

Once the slaughter was finished, they regrouped into the pawn shop, which happened to be a safe room. "Is everyone in one piece?" Coach asked.

"I'm ok", Ellis replied.

Zoey answered, "No problems here."

"I'm good", Louis said.

All eyes were now on Nick. He sighed, debating whether to tell them or not. If he turns, then he would be putting his whole team and his only friends in danger. With a heavy heart, he sighed as he rolled up the sleeve on his bitten arm, "No. I'm not."

**Scar: So…Nick's been bit. Hmm. What a clever little twist.**

**Bill: Not really. **

**Scar: Well that's your opinion, Bill.**

**Bill: If you want to see what happens next, submit five reviews for this chapter.**

**Scar: Ha! We'd be lucky if we still have five readers for this long-ass story!**

**Bill: Quit being so negative, Scar! Also, Vincent/Spectre belongs to ****A little help here.**

**Scar: I hate that chimera!**

**Francis: Hey! That's my catch phrase! Get your own!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 8: There Will be Blood**_

I was reading my mother's diary as I lay on the safe room couch. The entry was about me and my brother's birth:

I never thought that I would have twins. I hope one will be a girl. I've always dreamed of having a baby girl. My ex-husband can have the son.

"Wait. What?" I thought when I read 'ex-husband'.

I gave birth to my daughter, Christina and to my son, Zachary. After two painful hours of labor, it was worth it to see my babies, healthy and beautiful.

"So, my real brother's name is Zachary. Most likely Zach now." I flipped ahead in the diary, wondering about this 'ex-husband' thing. I found it:

The fights between me and Marcus are getting too much for me to handle. I want a divorce from him and he wants my unborn son. I said 'Fine', but I get to have my unborn daughter. I want to move to Miami and move in with my boyfriend, Travis Connor. I want my daughter to have the Starly name, but I'm not sure if Marcus will allow it.

I gasped as I read the entry again. So, Travis is my step-father? He's not my real father? So, my real father is Marcus Starly and he might still be alive. He's most likely in New York, but I don't know if it's covered in zombies or not. I must find out, but first, I need to talk to Scar.

Suddenly, Spectre appeared, hovering above me, thanks to the back of the couch. "Did ya miss me?" he quipped with a toothy smile.

I turned invisible to hide my blush and to sneak off the couch. "Do you really want an answer to that?"

He heard me and let his body fall onto the couch with an 'oomph!' "Yeah. Can ya answer?"

I thought for a second and replied, "It's good to see you, but I didn't miss you."

"Ha! Bullshit!" he laughed, "You missed me."

"When Jockeys can…" I quickly stopped myself, because of Detour's little flight the other night when I stated that I didn't want Spectre. "Damn."

He chuckled as he rolled off the couch and onto his feet. "…fly?"

"Maybe", I darted my eyes. "Can we please change the topic?"

"Sure", he replied, "Only if you turn visible again."

"Fine", I grumbled as I obeyed his request. I was right beside the safe room door, which Spectre was talking to. "How did you know I was next to the door?"

He chuckled, "I can hear you talking, Chris. It's not that hard, darling."

"Ok. Spectre, please don't call me 'darling' or any other pet name buzzing around in your head. Got it?"

He nodded, "Alright. Will do. I do have a question though."

"Shoot", I replied.

He pointed to his fore head and asked, "Why do you wear that strip of cloth on your forehead?"

I touched it and groaned, "It's a long and personal story. I don't think you're…um…"

"Ready? Or trustworthy?" he finished as he cocked an eyebrow.

"No! No no no!" I shook my head frantically. "Of course you're trustworthy. It's just…very personal." Then I thought, "Hell, I told Nick, so why am I so against telling Spectre? Is it because of the omen? Damn you, Detour. I don't want him!"

"I see", he sighed.

"Spectre, I'll tell you." I swear I saw him smirk a little. "Scar literally scarred me about less than a month ago. I originally wore a blue-fire printed bandana to cover it, but I lost it in a bet. So, using a strip I obtained from Nick's blue dress shirt, I used that cover up the scar."

"Really?" Spectre commented, "Is the scar really that bad that you have to cover it up?"

I snorted defensively, "Yes."

Spectre rolled his eyes, "I doubt that. My whole body is covered in scars. Scars heal over time, so I'm sure yours isn't that bad now than when you clawed by Scar." Then his tone grew slightly hostile. "Why the hell did he attack you in the first place?"

"Take it easy, Spectre. It's nothing to flip out over", I replied, trying to calm him down.

He scoffed, "I beg to differ."

"It's in the past now. Relax, pal", I stated as I gripped his shoulder.

He finally sighed and nodded, "Fine."

"Good. I need to go talk to Scar anyway. You don't follow me or spy on me in anyway. Got it?"

He groaned, "Aw. Alright. Fine. I won't spy on you or follow you."

I smiled as I took the diary and placed it in my hoodie pocket. "Good. See ya later!" I hopped out of the safe room door and began sprinting my way towards the stadium. I planned on finding Scar, but I ran into Salt Lick and Booms instead.

"Hey guys", I called them as I slowed down to a trot, "Do you two know where Scar is?"

"Sorry, Chris", Booms replied, "You just missed him. He's back at the sugar mill."

"Shit", I grumbled. "Thanks anyway, Booms."

Salt Lick asked with a smirk, "Why are you looking for him? Can't get Spectre off your tail?"

"No!" I barked, "I actually enjoy his company. I need to talk to him about his past."

Salt Lick laughed, nearly choking on his cig. Booms scoffed, "Good luck with that topic. If there's one thing he hates more than Spectre is talking about his former life."

I hummed in thought, and then replied, "Good to know. Thanks, guys. Catch ya later." As I hopped away, I noticed Lazerlemon and Chloe playing with the speaker system on the stage. I rolled my eyes and hopped onto the stage and asked, "What's going on here?"

Lazerlemon asked without facing me, "What's a good song on my IPod?"

I tilted my head and replied, "Depends on your point of view of 'good'."

"Any romantic songs, Chris?" Chloe asked.

I gulped and scratched my neck, thinking of an answer. The witch smirked as she watched me try to think of a lie. "Nope."

"I call bullshit", she giggled. She put on 'Bad Boy' by Cascada, which immediately made me shrink into the dark void of my hood. She placed her claws on her hips and smirked, "Care to explain?"

"One of my sisters put that on there", I answered, turning as red as a fire truck.

"Is that so?" Spectre's voice came dangerously close to me, "Sounds like a guilty pleasure to me."

I leaped to the side and crashed into the Midnight Riders' drum set. Spectre, Lazerlemon and Chloe snorted with laughter, while I scrambled out of the drums and onto my feet again. "Not funny."

"I beg to differ, Chris", Lazerlemon replied while snorting a laugh again.

Chloe paused the song and asked, "Is it guilty pleasure?"

"I have the right to remain silent. Anything I say will be used against me in the court of law. I have the right to a lawyer." The three Special Infected stared at me with confusion. I clarified, "It's the Miranda Rights."

Spectre nodded and replied, "I knew that sounded familiar." He walked over to the sound desk and scrolled through my IPod. He smiled and put it on 'Good Life' by Three Days Grace.

I smiled, "That's a good song."

Spectre nodded, "Damn straight!"

Before the chorus came on, I felt the ground shake. "What the hell?" I wondered as I leaped onto one of the wooden scaffolds. Spectre took my side rather quickly, wondering what's going on as well.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I have no idea. Wait. Is that Brawn?" I pointed outside the stadium, where a lumbering figure was running towards the stadium walls.

The tank fell down, causing the whole area to shake. I nearly lost my balance, but thankfully, I leaped down before I fell on my back. My leader instincts kicked in as I barked orders, "Chloe, stay here and held this place down. Spectre, scout ahead for survivors. Lazerlemon, you're with me." Everyone nodded as we scattered. Lazerlemon and I leaped over the wall and ran to the downed Tank.

"Brawn? Are you ok?" Lazerlemon asked the giant.

He coughed, "I'm ok, little one. It's just a flesh wound. It'll heal."

"What happened?" I asked.

He moved his little head towards me and answered, "A whole band of survivors is storming this way. About ten or twelve of them."

My face paled, "Twelve? Aw shit. Half of Scar's crew is with him in Ducatel."

"Now's your chance to be a leader, young Chris", the Tank stated.

I exhaled sharply and asked, "Can you crawl for cover?" He nodded. "Good. Stay hidden and covered. We need to hold them back."

"Good luck", he replied as he used his humongous arms to crawl away.

Lazerlemon looked up at me and asked, "What now?"

"I don't know. I'll think of something. Let's round up the Specials in the area."

It took awhile, but we were able to get all of the Special Infected into the stadium. Among them were Salt Lick, Booms, Chloe, Nathan, and Lazerlemon. Spectre is nowhere to be found, so I grew concerned. I took a deep breath and barked at the wild group of zombies. "Enough! I demand silence!" Everyone was able to shut up and they looked up at me. On the spotlight, I froze for a second. I cleared my throat and shouted into the stage microphone, "Listen up! We have a horde of powerful humans coming our way!"

"Are you sure?" a Spitter asked from the crowd.

"Yes! Brawn the Tank just got attacked by this band. He's injured and can't fight."

A wave of panic and shock washed through the crowd. I face-palmed myself, thinking, "Idiot! Never tell the people that the enemy took down the strongest of us all."

Spectre finally did appear, but he was holding his side slightly. I beamed as I placed my claw on the phone head, "Spectre! Thank God you're alive! What happened?"

"One of them nailed me in the side with a machete, but I'll be fine. A little blood won't kill me."

I briefly examined the wound by removing his claw and gently removing the torn cloth of his jacket away from it. I shook my head and said, "You're not fighting with that wound, Spectre."

He scoffed, "Of course I am! You're going to need all the help you can get. There are about twenty on the way."

I nearly fainted, but thankfully, I didn't. "Twenty survivors?"

"Not just any survivors. They're soldiers", Spectre added.

"Aw shit. We are in trouble."

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Well, I don't care. You're not fighting. I don't need you to die…again."

He grumbled, "I don't care if you don't care. I'm fighting and that's my final answer."

I grabbed his collar and glared into his eyes, "I'm in charge of this zombie army and what I say goes! Sorry, Marine, but you're suspended until further notice."

He growled, but didn't argue this issue any further. I let him go and noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes. Benching him wasn't easy for me to stomach, because he's a great fighter, but I don't want him to get hurt anymore. I watched him vanish in a cloud of smoke. I sighed and turned back to the crowd. "Alright. We must fight this menace! We must fight for our survival! We must fight for our lives!"

The crowd roared in approval or anger, I didn't know the difference. I pointed to a young Hunter and asked, "Do you know the way to the town called Ducatel?"

He shyly nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

"I want you to send a message to a Hunter named Scar: We are engaging the enemy. Reinforcements are required."

The young Hunter, who looked like a preteen, just cocked his head and said, "Wait what?"

I rolled my eyes at myself for speaking in military terms. "Thanks, Spectre", I thought. "Just tell him that we need help fighting survivors."

"Ok!" he hopped onto his feet and bolted in the direction towards the swamp.

I prayed that he'll be ok and that he'll get to Scar before it's too late. Sighing again, I looked over to the crowd and ordered, "This is what we'll do!"

I will lead the charge and hit them head on with Lazerlemon and Nathan as my wing men. With me will be Chargers, so they might be able to charge into a few soldiers. The second wave will be Smokers, who will be on the roof tops and in dark path ways. Hopefully, if the attack waves are successful, at least six or seven soldiers will be dead before their comrades can help them.

I will lead the remaining soldiers into the Tunnel of Love, where the Boomers and Witches will be waiting. Thankfully, Detour was able to kill the lights in the ride, so seeing in the Tunnel of Love is nearly impossible. The cramped quarters will be difficult for them to fight with, especially when there are zombies coming at you in all directions. Lastly, there will a Tank (not Brawn) will be waiting for them at the end of the ride. Hopefully, that'll be at least eight dead soldiers right there.

The remaining soldiers will go through the barns and towards the stadium. That'll be our last stand. If we can't kill all of them by the time they get to the stage, we must make a retreat. The stage will be where the Jockeys and Spitters will lie in wait. This is where we need to give it everything we got.

"That plan won't work", Spectre commented as he appeared right beside me. At this point, I'm kinda used to him doing this.

I growled, "I thought I benched you."

"So?" he countered, "That won't stop me from helping you."

I sighed as I rubbed my temples, "You can help by obeying orders."

He shook his head stubbornly, "Look, in order to defeat these guys, you need an expert strategist. Lucky for you, I'm one."

"Unlucky for you, you're not in this fight, Spectre." I ignored the chimera as I continued with getting everyone ready for the fight.

He growled at my stubbornness and hopped into front of me. Gripping my shoulders, he stated with an iron tone, "Listen to me, Chris. You are going to need my help for this fight. Please let me help you win this fight."

I groaned as I tried to squirm out of his grip, but he dug his long witch claws into my flesh. My eyes widened in pain as I whimpered. "Come on. That's cheating", I gritted my teeth together.

He glared at him with his cold, icy blue eyes. A sharp chill shot down my spine as he bore down into my eyes. "Please", he spoke with a hard tone, it made me shiver.

"Fine", I finally sighed. He smiled and let go of my shoulders. Gently rubbing my wounds, I felt them seal closed. "Tell me what you know, Spectre."

"Ten of them have M-16s. Eight have tactical shotguns and the last two have M60s."

"Great. They're heavily armed and you say that my plan won't work." I rubbed my chin, trying to think of a better plan.

Spectre stated, "Let me explain. Half of it is great and is needed, like the Chargers, Smokers, and Spitters." He pulled Bill's Assault rifle off his back, slightly hissing when the barrel hit his wounded side. "I can easily kill ten alone with this."

"Really?" I asked, but then face-palmed, "Why the hell am I doubting you? You were…excuse me, _are_ a Marine!"

He nodded, "In some way, I'm not even in the fight. I have to kill them the old fashion way, since you won't let me get blood on my claws."

"You got injured", I snapped at him. "I'm only doing this is because I care!" It took me two seconds to realize what I just said. "Did I just say that out loud?"

He blinked as he nodded, "If you said anything else, I'd have called it a lie."

My eyes darted back and forth as I cleared my throat. "Go even our odds, Spectre!" he nodded as he vanished and reappeared on a roof of the shooting gallery. Using the sign as a prop, Spectre let the barrel rest on the sign while he sighed, "It's not a bipod, but it'll have to do." He looked through the sight and ushered me up to his post. "Chris, come up here."

Still mortified from my 'I care' statement, I was hesitant about joining him. After about five seconds of hesitation, I finally collected my breath and scaled my way up onto the roof. "What?"

"The enemy is coming at 800 meters", he informed me. I'm slightly clueless when it came to measurements, so I just nodded, looking intelligent.

"Ok", she replied. A quick whistle alerted all of the Special Infected in the area. They all gathered around the shooting range and looked up at the two powerful beasts. I even some smirk or grin at the sight. I rolled my eyes in slight disgust and barked, "Alright, listen up!"

Everyone was able to quiet down so they could hear me talk. "Ok, new plan here. Spectre will be our cover fire in this fray."

One Boomer growled, "I thought you benched him!"

"I did! But he's too stubborn to follow orders from a woman!" I snapped back, earning a small glare from Spectre. I cleared my throat and announced, "Spitters will be in our first wave, splitting up their forces with their acid. Smokers and Hunters will pick off lone wolves, while Chargers will knock smaller groups away from each other. Jockeys will do what Jockeys do best: ride."

"400 meters", Spectre called.

"Places! Let's go!" I commanded with a sudden authority that I never had obtained before. The Spitters and Chargers scrambled into the alleys and shadows, lying in wait for the signal. Smokers climbed up the tents and buildings of the surrounding area and crouched to keep a lower profile.

Jockeys, Hunters and Boomers looked up at me, wondering where they'll be going. "Spread out. Aid the other Infected in their ambush. Hunters, don't pounce. Stand and claw. Boomers, walk around and puke when a soldier is near you. Jockeys, stay close to the Chargers."

As the rest of the zombies ran off to get into position, I exhaled sharply. "This will be a blood bath, Spectre. I just know it."

He slightly took his eye off the sight to look at me, "Don't worry. I know how this will go. Just repeat what I say and things will be fine. Trust me, ok?"

I nodded as he returned his attention to the horizon. Lazerlemon climbed to my side and whimpered, "What's going to happen?"

"War. That's what will happen", I answered him.

Spectre's eyes narrowed as he saw the group of adversaries advance towards the park. With a quick pull of the trigger, a bullet soared through the air and nailed one of the lead soldiers in the head. His comrades instantly crouched down with their guns in the air, scanning the area for their sharpshooter.

"Now!" he barked, "Spitters! Go!"

About three of the Spitters emerged from their hiding places and launched their acid spit at the group. The sizzling green liquid splashed onto the soldiers' boots, eating right through the tough hide materials. Most of them yelped as they scrambled away from the goo. Some were hit rather hard, causing the skin on their legs to be eaten away. They screamed in agony, while their comrades pulled them out of the burning puddle of pain.

Now the dominoes were falling. The soldiers began shouting, "Shoot these fuckers!" or "Kill them!" As they fired at anything that moved, a Spitter was caught in the cross fire and fell onto the ground as acid poured out of her open mouth, silent.

Common zombies rushed in to attack the human menace, but they fell quickly at the flying lead. Chargers rammed into the larger groups of soldiers, grabbing one victim and knocking down the rest away from their snatched comrade. Sadly, since it took the soldiers half a second to gather their strength, they were able to shoot the big one armed zombie before some serious damage could be dealt.

Spectre grunted to himself as he shot another soldier in the chest. I watched the fight and my stomach tightened. 'This is war', I thought. "So this is what Bill and Spectre saw on a daily basis?" I whispered out loud, forgetting that Spectre was right next to me.

"Yeah, it's Hell", he replied, startling me. "Sorry I startled ya."

I placed my claw on my chest and replied, "It's ok."

"Order the Smokers to attack lone wolves and the Hunters to kill the wounded ones. Make the Jockeys run rabbit."

"Huh?"

"Tell them to ride the soldiers into their own fire", he clarified.

"Oh." I stood up and bellowed over the battle as I leaped onto another roof, not drawing any fire towards Spectre, "Smokers! Attack! Hunters, aim for the wounded soldiers! Jockeys, ride 'em into lead!"

One of the soldiers saw me and planned to shoot me. Thankfully, I turned invisible and ran out of his line of fire. Detour leaped onto the man's shoulders and laughed manically as he rode him into his partner's firing M60. "Oh shit! Tack!" he gasped as he dropped his gun after killing him. Detour, then leaped off Tack's shoulders and used his claws to slit the other soldier's throat.

"Thanks Detour!" I called out to my friend.

He beamed as he eyed another easy victim, "No problem, Chris!"

I looked over at the battle as a whole and I could see how overwhelmed the humans were getting. Several made careless mistakes and left their wounded allies behind, only to be attacked by a Hunter seconds later. Several of them were snared and strangled by Smokers. The last seven or so were wielding their weapons like mad men, desperate to escape this scenario with their lives. I grinned evilly as I decided to join this fray.

Spectre smiled as he aimed and shot three in the head. "Ah, beautiful." He decided to leave the last one for me, since I was dying to get into the fight. He watched me through the sight and smiles.

I snarled at the last soldier and ran towards him. He managed to raise his pistol with his right arm at me, but I thought I would attack him first. With an ear-shattering ring, I pushed my prey into the ground and slashed his vocal cords out of his neck. Gurgling on his own mangled cords, he saw me glare down on him, his eyes full of fear and pain. I felt bad for him, so I took the katana from his dead captain and quickly decapitated him.

What I overlooked was that I was shot in the left shoulder. Spectre took his assault rifle, places it back onto his back and 'poofs' to my side. "Are you alright?" he asked with a lot of concern in his voice.

"Huh?" I replied unaffected and unaware of my injury, "Yeah. I'm fine. I just killed the guy. Why wouldn't I be?" As if on cue, a sharp, hot pain engulfed my left shoulder, causing me to hiss and shut my eyes tight. Opening one eye to the chimera, I quipped while gripping my shoulder, "That's why you asked me."

He nodded as he pulled a morphine shot out of his jacket pocket and quickly injected it into my shoulder. I yelped, "Ow. I didn't even know I got shot until you came down here. Thanks." My last statement was dripping with sarcasm.

In the same tone, he replied, "No trouble."

I rolled my eyes and looked around. Bodies, both human and zombie, littered the front area. Most of the zombie bodies were commons, but I was able to see several Special Infected bodies. I was estimating about three of four Specials were lost.

Detour, who was slightly wounded in the arm, walked up to me and already did a causality count, "Three Spitters, two Jockeys, four Smokers, six Chargers, one Boomer, and thankfully no Hunters." He sighed, "However, many of us are wounded and can't fight for days, even weeks."

I nodded, "I understand. Gather every medkit in the park. Get Lazerlemon and Nathan to help you."

The Jockey nodded as he run off towards the nearest saferoom, knowing there's at least one medkit inside.

Spectre was still standing next to me, observing my behavior towards the causalities of war. Feeling his eyes watching my every move, I shivered unintentionally. He actually smirked a little.

I finally focused my attention on the chimera. "Listen, Spectre, I'm sorry I tried to keep you out of the fight."

"No trouble", he replied, "You did it because you cared. I can understand."

I blushed under my hoodie and stated, "Yeah. That's good that you understand, so I don't have to explain myself."

He smiled as he hopped back up onto the roof he was using as a post. I followed him despite myself. He sat down and I sat beside him. Then I wondered, why am I following him? It was usually vice versa. And also, why did I confess that I cared for him? Am I losing my rough exterior?

I looked over the battle zone and hissed through my teeth at the carnage. I touched my left shoulder and carefully (but painfully) plucked the bullet out of the wound, allowing it to heal faster. "I hope there won't be another fight like this one again for a while. I need to get stronger and the enemy numbers need to be fewer. I'll admit this; if it wasn't for your plan, we'd all be dead."

"See? Good thing I stuck around…", he smirked as he continued, "…NOT just for you."

"Good", I replied, strangely not blushing at his comment. I continued with a grumble, "Some leader I am. I thought I could lead this zombie army to victory, but it was your training and strategy that helped us the most. I clearly lack the experience."

He nodded, "Well, you didn't spend your entire life fighting every day."

"That's true. That's what you did." I felt like we were going into personal ground here. When it comes to our pasts, Spectre and I are strangers. I told him a few bits and pieces about what happened to me and why I wear the strip of blue cloth on my forehead. He told me he was a Marine. A lieutenant even, for the Task Force 141. He's also Sheila's father; her real father. Strangely, I wanted to know more about the chimera and what his previous Marine life was like. Taking a deep breath, I asked, "What was it like, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Hell. Every night, you'd be woken up by your buddy getting his head shot off…" he looked down at his long claws, thinking of the days of his service.

I winced at the mere thought of seeing any of my friends' heads blow up in front of my face. "That must've been fucking horrible."

"As I said: Hell."

I chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood a little, "Yeah. I guess the Devil won't take you so you can endure this 'Hell'."

He smiled as he looked up at me, "Actually, this is nice."

"How so?" I asked, locking eyes with him.

"Well, I can get a good night's sleep, I can take what I want, and…" he smiled and placed his claw on my thigh, "…I have you."

I blushed fiercely when he touched me. "Me?" I asked with a creaking voice. Quickly clearing my throat, I continued in my normal voice, "I'm just a con artist turned Hunter. You're the better side of the deal."

He cocked an eyebrow, "You're saying the man that spent more time killing people is better than the person that didn't murder them?"

"I'm saying is that you're the better prize." In my head, I'm screaming, 'Why am I saying this? Shut the fuck up bitch!' "The man in uniform. You make a better living by defending our country. I cheated, stole, and maimed to get what I wanted." Then I stopped and thought, 'Did I just say 'man in uniform'?'

He shook his head, "No, for nineteen years I was being hunted…for nineteen years I was killing to survive. Not a grand ideal for me."

"Hunted?" I repeated, unable to believe it. "I'm sorry. Sad to say, we're both fighting for our lives to stay alive now. This apocalypse to me is Hell."

"It shouldn't be."

"Well…it's just different to what I'm used to. I will admit that I do enjoy having you as a friend." Then I laughed as a thought crossed my mind, "Thank God you're not a cop or I'd be in trouble!"

Spectre smirked as he slid closer to me, his claw trailing up my side, sending shivers down my spine. "If I was a cop…then I would have to…"

He didn't get a chance to finish his lustful sentence. The young Hunter I sent out to find Scar came leaping out of nowhere and crashed right into the chimera. The force of the crash sent Spectre forward and his lips were caught with mine. In milliseconds, every nerve in my body went unexpectedly numb. Everything suddenly went from cold and rough to warm and soft. My heart stopped as if to say, 'Oh my god.'

I wasn't the one who pulled away first; it was Spectre who ended the kiss with a huge blush on his face. We just stared at each other for a good thirty seconds, trying to figure out what just happened. The little Hunter panted, "I'm so sorry, but I got Scar like you asked."

"Thank you", I replied with a very hard tone. I completely forgot that I sent the little Hunter to get Scar and the rest of his team here. "That'll be all, young one."

He nodded his head and hopped off the roof, leaving us alone again. I looked back at Spectre, who was smiling softly. Almost on instinct, I smiled back. My heart was doing flips inside my ribcage. I don't know why…wait why am I bullshitting myself? Of course I know why! I actually enjoyed that kiss! Sure it was accidental, but it was still a kiss!

A small rumble of thunder loomed in the dark sky, the storm clouds covering the bright stars. I groaned, "Another storm? I got to go find Lazerlemon and help him find a decent shelter. He's helpless in a thunder storm." I stood up and said to the still awe-struck chimera, "I'll see you later then."

He blinked and finally spoke, "Sure, see ya Chris."

I smiled a little as I leaped down off the roof and began jogging away from the shooting gallery. Now out of Spectre's presence, I smiled and blushed as I gently licked my lips. Chills ran down my spine as I can still taste his lips and feel them against mine. "Wow" was all I could say at that moment. Now focusing on the task at hand, I ran off to find my blonde-haired young Hunter.

A growl erupted from Scar's throat as he watched his mortal enemy kiss his little sister. His claws dug into the ground as he continued to watch the horrible scene in front of his eye sockets. "That's it, Spectre. You've gone too far", he hissed to himself.

Once I left Spectre alone on the roof, Scar gave a toothy evil smile as he turned invisible. He stealthily scaled up a tent post and felt a small rain drop fall onto his hand. He thought with a scowl, "If it begins to rain, my invisibility will be useless. But as long as that fucker dies, I don't care." With his vision red with fury, his blood burning with rage, and his muscles tightening with every single movement, he hopped onto Spectre's roof.

On pure instinct, Spectre swung his Assault rifle and fired five shots into the 'thud' he heard. Scar was hit by all five shots, causing him to hiss, seeing his blood float out into a crimson mist on impact of the bullets into his chest and left shoulder. Seeing that Spectre was aiming his gun directly at his head, he leaped to the side and viciously head-butted into his foe. Thanks to his regeneration, the bullet wounds healed quickly.

Spectre cursed at the sudden force from his right side, stumbling. He saw Scar turn visible in front of him, snarling, "I fuckin' warned you, Spectre! Now you'll pay the price!"

"In your blood!" Spectre hissed, turning the line against the Hunter.

Scar already had a game plan against the chimera. He was going to weaken him out, and then do some major damage. He leaped over Spectre's head and gave him a very forceful donkey kick to the back as he landed on his front claws. "No! In yours!"

Spectre fell forward and asked as he rolled back onto his feet, "How come you have not drawn blood yet?"

"Because I'm waiting for the right time for Chris to see you, bloody and lifeless", he answered with a sharp grin. The storm was beginning to pick up, causing the flaps of Spectre's jacket to fly to the side, while Scar remained unaffected by the wind. That duct tape does come in handy.

"Would you really do this to her?" he asked, knowing that Scar's plan will probably backfire.

"Hmm?" he growled lowly, not understanding what his foe was getting at. In his mind, Spectre has closed the line with me and now he wants blood.

Spectre leaned down the two inches that separated them. "Think about it, she's attached to me, and if you kill me she'll be traumatized. She won't want to do anything, and who knows? She might do something brash. Something stupid. When people crack they do suicidal things. I've seen this happen more than I can remember."

Scar scoffed, "Chris is stronger than she looks. Her whole family is fuckin' dead and she got over it! She cried for nights over losing that con man of hers, Nick. Now, she's doing just fine without! And I'm sure she'll get over your death too."

"Seeing her own brother do that... listen, just I won't let you kill me due to the fact that she's seen more about me than anyone ever has before, even my former wife..."

His eyes narrowed at the word of 'brother'. "It doesn't matter if she's all of you or only half! Your blood will spill and if mine does too, then so be it! I'd rather die with my enemy than live knowing you're still alive!"

"And if it comes to it, then I won't die murdered in my sleep. I'm glad that you're honorable in that way."

"Even I have my morals, Overbeck. Prepare to die!" Scar snarled as he rushed towards Spectre, subtly aiming to attack his gun.

Spectre saw right through his idea. He smirked as he held his M16 lightly in his claws. If Scar's attack is very forceful (and it will, he concluded), the lack of resistance will force him off balance.

Scar rushed towards him and slashed into his M16 out of his grip, as well as slashing his foe's claws, forcing pain and blood to emerge from Spectre's senses. However, the rush was too strong, sending Scar forward, tripping over his own feet. He growled as he leaped back up, ready to attack again.

Spectre stomped on his feet with his own, causing the Hunter to bend his back in pain, allowing Spectre to thrust his long claws between his ribs.

Scar snarled in pain as he felt Spectre's claws moving around, hoping to either rip ribs out or puncture his heart and lungs. Thinking fast, Scar clawed his opponent's arms and sank his jagged fangs right below the jugular vein in his neck.

Spectre cursed and twisted his wrists around, his claws shifting two ribs. Scar yowled over the noise of the thunder as Spectre shoved him off the roof.

Scar landed hard on his side, grunting on impact. Breathing heavily, he closed his eye sockets and stayed still, letting his injuries heal. He wondered if Spectre will take the bait and ambush him.

Spectre wasted no time, trying to stop the bleeding. "Thankfully, he didn't pierce my jugular", he thought as he began to bandage the wound.

Scar's sockets snapped back to life, causing him to launch up back onto the roof and slash Spectre across the face with his bloody claws.

Spectre yowled, in significant pain but was glad the bandages did their job, holding things together and he returned with a blow that successfully removed Scar's right thumb and index thru ring fingers.

Scar bellowed as lightning flashed over the fighting adversaries. Using his left claw, Scar was able to slit Spectre's throat. Blood poured out of the gash, but it wasn't enough to kill.

Cursing, the chimera delivered a blow to the stomach and a deep slash to the back. The gash was deep enough to see Scar's vertebrate.

The Hunter fell off the roof again, due to sever blood loss. That this rate, he'll die from another blow. Spectre leaped down and placed his boots softly against his enemy's head. "Time to make this quick." Scar closed his eyes, waiting to feel Spectre's combat boot to crush into his skull and squish into his brain.

"Spectre? Scar!" a voice startled both fighters. Spectre looked up to see me, standing nearby as the fight came to a bloody stand still.

"Chris!" Spectre spoke in a horrified tone.

I ran over to Scar's shaking body, feeling Spectre step back. "Scar? Can you hear me?"

With his wounds slowly healing, he slowly nodded and whispered, "Now you see his true self."

Spectre clenched his claws into his palm, causing blood to trickle down his hand. That was Scar's plan all along. He wanted Spectre to look like a vicious jackass. Well, he did succeed in that.

I kneeled down and tried to help Scar to his feet. Blood poured out of his shrinking wounds and onto my claws and hoodie. "Don't worry, Scar. I've got ya", I whispered to my mentor.

Spectre sighed deeply as he watched me escort Scar to a tent to serve as temporary shelter. Freezing rain poured down on the chimera, but it was as cold as the glare I gave him. His heart froze as guilt sank in. If he succeeded in this curb-stomp, then Scar would be dead and I would hate him forever. He closed his eyes and walked through the puddle of blood.

I watched Spectre walk out of my line of sight. That sweet taste of his lips was now sour and bitter. Scar was nearly killed! Spectre, Vincent Overbeck, almost killed him! That horrifying scene kept playing in my head like a broken CD on skip.

I looked down at Scar, who was resting from his bitter fight. His battle injuries were healing and he will survive. I was actually glad that I stopped Spectre from killing him. I knew that these two stubborn leaders hated each other, but I didn't know it was that bad.

"Scar?"

"Hmm?"

I asked with a heavy heart, "What happened?"

Scar let out a mighty sigh and said, "Well, I saw him kiss you and I snapped."

"Not the fight here. I meant what happened that made you hate Spectre so much?"

"Oh. Well, about two months ago, before you became a Hunter, I ran into Spectre. I don't know why, but I got a very bad vibe off him. When I learned that he was a Marine with abnormal powers, I feared the worse. Call me paranoid if you want, but I when saw him take out an entire group of survivors by himself, I knew he was a vicious son'a'bitch. I only saw the violent side of him. I guess I am wrong to some degree."

I nodded and asked, "Will you pick fights with him again?"

Scar looked up and warned, "If I ever catch him kissing you again, I will show no mercy next time."

I rolled my eyes and declared, "The kiss was an accident. That young Hunter bumped into Spectre, forcing him into me. It wasn't a move. In fact, he pulled away first."

Scar groaned as the kiss played in his head, "Are we really having this conversation?"

I laughed, "Yes, we are! But, please don't try to fight him again. If I arrived a second later, you'd be dead."

He groaned, but then slowly nodded, "Very well. I'll do it for you…" then he whispered more to himself than me, "…little sister."

**Booms: It's about time! **

**Me: Tell me about it. I'm sure people are flipping out on how late this is.**

**Booms: I would too. **

**Spectre: Yeah. My owner was getting impatient with you, DragonGamer0713.**

**Me: Well, I'm sorry. Sorry to everyone who had to wait on my very slow update. You can thank my writer's block for being so slow.**

**Spectre: And you can thank my owner, ****A little help here****, for getting you out of that writer's block.**

**Me: Yes, yes. Thanks, bro! **

**Spectre: Show them! Please?**

**Booms: The extended fight? Oh hell yes! Please show it!**

**Me: Ok! This was the original fight scene that ****A little help here**** and I role-played. It's much more graphic and implausible, and well, you'll find out.**

**The original fight: WARNING: MASSIVE VIOLENCE AND GORE.**

Scar silently scaled one of the tent posts and quietly leaped onto the roof where Spectre was. His vision was red with fury and every muscle in his body tightened.

Before the chimera could think he fired five shots at the thud, seeing the red of crimson spray a bit, he began to take aim for the head.

Scar hissed as he was shot. Faster than usual, he dodged out Spectre's gun sight and tackled him to the ground with a vicious head butt. The bullet wound quickly healed.

Spectre cursed, stumbling a bit and bringing his heel around, feeling something give under it.

"I fuckin' warned you, Spectre! But you didn't listen!" Scar snarled as he turned visible, holding a vicious predator like stance, glaring at the chimera. "And now, you will pay the price!"

"In your blood." Spectre finished the quote from a movie he couldn't remember the title of, but totally turning the line around on the Hunter.

Scar leaped over Spectre's head and gave him a forceful donkey-kick to the back when he landed. "No. In yours!"

Spectre rolled back onto his feet. "How come you have not drawn blood then?"

"Because I'm waiting for the right moment when Chris sees you bloody and lifeless!" His plan was to disarm Spectre and wear him out as best as he could.

the chimera wouldn't tire out, if he did it'd take a few hours. "You would really do this to her?"

Scar growled lowly, not really understanding what his foe is getting at. All he knows is that Spectre [in his mind] crossed the line with Chris, his own twin sister. "Hmm?"

Spectre leaned down the two inches that separated them. "Think about it, she's attached to me, and if you kill me she'll be traumatized. She won't want to do anything, and who knows? she might do something brash. Something stupid. When people crack they do suicidal things. I've seen this happen more than I can remember."

Scar scoffed, "Chris is stronger than she looks. Her whole family is fuckin' dead and she got over it! She cried for nights over losing that con man of hers, Nick. Now, she's doing just fine without! And I'm sure she'll get over your death too."

"Seeing her own brother do that... listen, just I won't let you kill me due to the fact that she's seen more about me than anyone ever has before, even my former wife..."

His eyes narrowed at the word of 'brother'. "It doesn't matter if she's all of you or only half! Your blood will spill and if mine does too, then so be it! I'd rather die with my enemy than live knowing you're still alive!"

"And if it comes to it, then I won't die murdered in my sleep. I'm glad that you're honorable in that way."

"Even I have my morals, Overbeck. Prepare to die!" Scar snarled as he rushed towards Spectre, subtly aiming to attack his gun.

Spectre smirked, holding the gun lightly in his hand. The lack of resistance of the blow would knock Scar off-balance.

Scar slashed the M16 out of Spectre's claws, brutally slashing his opponent's claws as well. The rush of the attack was too strong, causing Scar to slightly stumble and trip over his own feet. Growling, he rolled back onto his claws, ready to attack again.

Spectre ignored the pain and spun, pinning Scar's foot with his own he bent the Hunter back, claws slipping under his ribcage.

Scar snarled as he felt Spectre's long claws attempt to pull ribs out of his chest (or aiming to punture his heart or lungs). Thinking fast, Scar clawed his arms and sank his teeth, directly into his jugular vein.

Spectre cursed and simply twisted his wrist, ripping the Hunter's lungs to shreds and putting a couple gouges thru his heart muscle before throwing the Infected away and off the roof

Scar landed hard on the ground, laying still with labored breathing. He wasn't out of this fight yet; his injuries (including his shredded lungs and heart) were healing. Right now, he remained motionless, hoping Spectre might fall for his trap

Spectre went about stopping the bleeding carefully, leaving the Hunter for a span of thirty seconds to bandage the vein.

Scar's eyes opened and in one fluid motion, stood up, leaped and slashed Spectre across the face.

Spectre yowled, in significant pain but was glad the bandages did their job, holding things together and he returned with a blow that successfully removed Scar's right thumb and index thru ring fingers.

Scar howled in pain, adding more fuel to the flame. He stood up and slashed Spectre's neck open. Blood poured out of the slash, enough to weaken, but sadly [for Scar] not to kill.

Spectre cursed, successfully ramming his claws thru Scar's spine, having had the good fortune to find the gap between the second and third vertebrae in his spine.

Scar screamed in agony as he decided to fight dirty. His claw thrusted right up into Spectre's crotch and up into his large intestine.

Spectre cursed repeatedly and wrenched his hand, the force sufficient to rip every tendon in Scar's neck, detaching it almost completely.

Scar fell to the ground, unable to move at all. He knew he could if he just held on long enough for the regeneration to be one. Blood pooled around the vicious Hunter. His breathing became shaky as he 'sensed' someone coming their way.

Spectre simply curb-stomped Scar, crushing his skull into the roof and kicking the body off the roof.

Scar's body fell to the bloody fair ground, causing the approaching figure to gasp and nearly burst into tears.

Spectre collapsed, cursing softly. "I had to..." they both looked like a Witch went after them, Spectre just noticing the bullet in his leg; his gun fired when it went flying, shooting him in the thigh, but a clean thru-and-thru wound.

The figure was Chris. Closing her eyes tight, she did her best to choke back a wail of sorrow. "Oh Scar..."

Spectre let out a soft whimper as he pulled a fragment of the bullet out of his leg, having torn the pants leg off to get at the wound.

Swallowing hard, she asked venomously, "Why did you do this?"

"I was defending myself." he said and bit back a holler as he began to stitch the wounds shut

Chris pulled her hood over her eyes, feeling that they were going to burst. Without another word, she turned around and walked away from the scene, tears streaming down her face. "Scar was my mentor and friend. Why did he have to die?" she thought as she sniffled.

Spectre whimpered as he cauterized the wounds, simply leaving the injuries on his face be since they stung but weren't fatal.

Chris climbed on top of the stadium and let out a wail of sorrow, allowing tears to freely fall from her eyes. "Noooooooooo!"

**Me: There ya go!**

**Spectre: I like the original fight better.**

**Me: That's because you won. A few notes to close out. I have a poll up on my profile regarding the pairings. If you want to speak up and vote for which pairing you like better, take the blasted poll!**

**Spectre: Vote for SpectreXChris and I'll give you a cookie.**

**Me: No you won't. My next chapter will be survivors-only so don't worry about that! You'll get to see what happens to Nick! Also, the family issue will appear again, so don't worry about that either, although at this point, it's too obvious. Scar said so himself!**

**Booms: You don't own anything from L4D2, right?**

**Me: Right.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Me: Look! A Before math note!**

**?: Why?**

**Me: I need to explain a few things before the story starts. This takes place exactly after the survivor part in chp 7. So if you forgot what happened, stop and go read it before continuing. Also, so sorry for making everyone wait for the last chapter. This part would've been in chp 8, but I was in such a rush to get it out (a few grammar mistakes is proof of that), that I didn't care and wanted the wait to be over. So sorry and hope you enjoy chp 9!**

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 9: Back in Time**_

Nick took a deep sigh inside and closed his eyes. "I've been bit."

Everyone got deadly quiet with fear and shock. Time itself seemed to stand still. Will Nick turn? But isn't he immune? Will the transformation happen in a few hours? Will it happen within minutes? Questions were silently spoken among the group, but none of them can be answered at that exact moment in time.

Nick looked down at his wound again with silent shame. The bite was not that bad looking, but a zombie bite is no laughing matter. Everyone knows that little fact. "Guys, I want one of you to crown me."

Everyone began protesting all at once, causing Nick to cringe for asking such a request.

"Hell no, Nick!" Ellis barked.

Coach added, "Damn straight. None of us will shoot ya. You may be a pain in the ass, but you're our pain in the ass."

Nick grumbled with amusement, "Thanks, Coach."

"I'm sure the scientists back at the base are finding a cure for the Green Virus right now", Louis assured.

"I really love your enthusiasm, Louis, but what are the odds?" Nick asked.

Zoey actually lightly slapped him across the face and ordered, "Don't you dare give up on yourself! Pull yourself together and we'll find a way to help you!"

Nick was shocked by Zoey's violent command, but it did spark his determination again. He nodded at her and replied, "You're right, Zoey. Well, I don't want to wait around to be turned. Let's get to the hospital and complete this mission."

"Don't worry about a thing, Nick", Ellis spoke as he quickly reloaded his sniper. "We'll keep ya safe from any zombies." He played with the sights on his sniper and Nick was in them.

Nick quipped darkly, "Ok, but who's going to protect me from you, Ellis?"

Louis laughed as he grabbed Ellis' sniper's barrel and pushed it down gently. "Save it for the zombies, Ellis."

"Ok, Lou!" the redneck replied.

Coach commanded, "I think Nick should lead the way, along with Louis and Zoey. That way, he can spot zombies faster and they won't be alerted to him. Am I right?"

Zoey nodded. "Zombies won't harm other zombies. Cannibalism may occur, but they won't pick fights with each other. You're right, Coach."

"Cool. Good to know we have an expert on our team."

Nick stood up and had Zoey look at this bite. It was a bite that barely broke the skin, but it was still dangerous. Two or three puncture wounds were visible, already festering with the infection. Zoey quickly cleaned his bite, hoping it'll slow down the zombification process and wrapped it in strong gauze bandages.

"Thanks, Zoey", the con man said.

"Hey, I'm just doing my job, Nick."

The team of zombie-slayers escaped from the pawn shop through the back door. It led them into an alley with a few strangling zombies. Nick decided to test out this situation, so he just walked past a common who was staring at him the whole time, but it did nothing to him. It didn't growl at him or run up to attack him. Nick grinned a little; this will come in handy later.

Weaving in and out of the alleys, the group came across an opening with a gas station and many gasoline cans. Ellis chuckled at the sight and began to speak, "Hey Louis, Zoey, have I told you guys the time Nick, Coach, Ro, and I had to find gas cans to fill up Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s car?"

Coach and Nick quickly stated, "Later, Ellis."

"Ok", he mumbled with disappointment.

Zoey actually giggled and stated, "Ya know, I remember Bill saying to Louis, Francis and I, 'You know who runs around filling up things with gas? Idiots.' Ah good ol' Bill."

Louis smiled at his female companion and pointed to a lift next to a building. "We'll have to use that lift to continue on."

As they fought to the lift, Nick led the charge, thanks to his lack of 'survivor scent' now. However, this new ability was invalid to Special Infected like Hunters and Smokers. They can still see and smell him as a survivor and will attack him no matter what. A quick encounter with a Charger taught him that little lesson.

Once on the lift, they heard the very familiar roaring coming from the distance. "Tank!"

The humongous infected creature came crashing through the building near the gas station, followed by a huge horde of zombies. Thinking fast, Louis threw a pipe bomb in front of the gas pumps, watching the zombies run after the ticking explosive. As the Tank charged at the survivors on the lift, Nick had an idea…and a blast of stupid courage.

He leaped off the lift and ran across the Tank's path, bee lining to the gas pumps. The other survivors were hysterical.

"Nick!" Louis and Coach shouted after the con man.

Ellis belted out over the zombies, "Don't do it, bro!"

Zoey was nearly in tears, seeing him acting suicidal. "Nick, come back!"

"Just get to the hospital! I'll meet y'all there! Damn you Ellis and your Southern accent!" he barked as he led the Tanks to the pumps. The pipe bomb still hasn't exploded yet and Nick grew impatient. He took aim and shot at it. The bullet ruptured the metal coating of the bomb and the heat of the lead projectile lit the bomb up in half the time it normally took.

That's not all that happened. Since the pipe bomb was directly in front of the gas pumps, the small explosion triggered a much bigger explosion, thanks to gas being so flammable. It roasted the Tank and his little Common army in a towering inferno. The lift was able to carry the survivors to safety, but Nick overlooked one little thing: how will he escape?

He cursed to himself as the wall of fire blew closer to him. "Shit!" He backed against the chain-link fence and quickly hopped over it not even breaking a sweat. "Wow. That was easier than I thought."

Out of the danger zone for now, Nick trotted down the alley he was in and groaned, "I lost in a big city. Heh, that's new to me." As he continued to explore uncharted territory, his stomach began to growl and churn in protest. He groaned as he grabbed his stomach. "Oh not good. Come on, pull yourself together."

Finally, his stomach gave up on him and he threw up in his path. Dropping his Assault rifle, he heaved up the breakfast he had that morning back at the base. Panting and then throwing up again, his vision began to blur. He blinked, trying to clear it up. It worked, but then he wondered what was happening to him.

He swiped his mouth with his long jacket sleeve and actually winced, since he used his bitten arm. With caution, he rolled it up and un-wrapped the bandages. He gasped in horror at how bad his simple bite has gotten. It was oozing dark green and slightly pulsing. It burned to the touch and the center of the bite was a sickly ash color. Outside the bite ring, his flesh was a very dark purple and it seemed to be spreading.

He quickly covered up the bite and held his head in his hands. "Oh no. I can't end like this."

"You can't, mate."

Nick leaped out of his skin at the voice. He spun around and took his Grenade Launcher. Sitting idly on a crate was a Common smoking a cigarette. He looked up at Nick with glowing eyes and asked, "Well, mate? Are you going to kill me?"

"How are you talking?" Nick demanded.

The zombie inhaled on his cigarette and replied, "When you got bit, the bacteria from the teeth infected you. It travels all over your body through your blood stream and begin affecting your organs. You can understand me because it has affected your auditory system already. At this point, you have an hour and a half at most to be completely infected."

Nick's jaw dropped. "How did you…"

"I used to be a scientist before this shit happened, mate. You got a name?"

"It's Nick."

"I'm Christophe."

The name itself brought pain to Nick's heart. He deeply sighed, causing Christophe to cock an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"I know…knew someone named Chris. She saved my life in New Orleans."

"Ah. Well, don't fret. That's Scar's territory."

Nick looked up, "Who's territory?"

"Scar's. He turns his victims, not kills them. I'm sure she's alright. Hunter-ized maybe, but she's at least alive." The Common tossed his cigarette with a flick of his fingers and stood up. He picked up Nick's Assault rifle and handed it to him. "Come on, you Yank."

"Wait…why are you helping me?" Nick asked, clearly confused about this zombie's motive.

The British Common looked over his shoulder and replied, "Because you have a chance of survival. I know these streets better than any other Common. I want to help you. Let's go." He trotted down the alley and Nick followed him, still a little cautious about this zombie.

Christophe led Nick into the city park. "There", he pointed directly in front of them over the trees. "Mercy Hospital is just past this park, mate."

"Cool. I do have a question though."

"Shoot, Yank."

Nick asked with a smidge of humor, "If you're British, then why do you have a French name?"

The zombie rolled his glowing yellow eyes and sighed, "Because my parents were humorous cock-sucking assholes. That's why."

Nick held in a small chuckle and said, "Ok then. Lead on."

The Common nodded and lead Nick through the park. Halfway there, a bunch of Special Infected ambushed the duo. Led by a Haggard, there was two Smokers with brass knuckles, a weed-smoking Jockey with a garrote, and lastly a female Hunter with a titanium baseball bat.

The Haggard scared Nick to the core. "What the hell is that thing?"

Christophe growled to the gang, not to Nick, "The Hell's Core gang."

"What the fuck are you doing with this human?" The Haggard snarled at Christophe. This creature looked like a big ass metal hedgehog with gorilla arms. It had nasty, glowing red eyes and sharp, gnarly teeth. It towered over the Common, but he didn't seem to be scared or fazed by this unusually creature. As for attire, the Haggard wore shredded up leather pants and boots. His misshapen torso was bare from clothing.

"What's it to ya, Steele? Can't a mate simply do something without being harassed!"

The weed-smoking Jockey answered for Steele, "Not when it comes to humans!" His voice was dripping with a Jersey accent, causing Nick to cock an eyebrow. The Jockey was holding his garrote in a way that made the wire shake with eagerness to wrap around Nick's neck and slice into his jugular veins and let him bleed to death. His strange lime green-yellow eyes twitched wildly at the survivor-turning-Common, while his unruly red hair flowing in the wind. He wore a tore arctic camo tank top and had shredded up jean shorts.

"That's right, Pot. No fuckin' humans! They wiped out half of our kind!" the male Smoker snarled while punching the brass knuckles into his other palm, drawing green blood. This Smoker was clearly the short-tempered one of the group. Wearing a leather jacket with spikes embezzled along the rim, he looked like a biker. His leather jacket and tough jeans looked brand new, while his shirt and boots looked completely worn out. He had smoky black hair tied into a messy pony tail and had timber brown eyes.

The female Smoker grumbled, "Let me maim him a little, Chain. He looks like my type."

Chain looked at his girl and growled, "I don't think so, Ruby. This punk is mine!" Ruby, the female Smoker, looked like something out of the red light district of the city. She had torn fish-net stockings and black high heel boots. She wore a very skimpy pink skirt and a bloody pink blouse that showed off way too much of her boobs than Nick wanted to see. She had dark brown hair tied in a pony tail and piercing lime green eyes. Before the infection, Nick concluded, that she would have looked very beautiful.

Nick caught sight of the Huntress and she smirked at him. He gulped a blushed slightly. She was the opposite of the female Smoker; she was wearing bloody sweat pants and a navy blue hoodie, just like every other Hunter. However, they were tight-fitting, so they showed off her curves and features better. She also wore worn out black DC shoes and had some brown hair spilling out of her hood.

Suddenly, his stomach churned again, causing his face to turn into a sickly green. "Oh no, not again", he groaned as he ran to the nearest trash can. As he tossed his cookies into the bin, he noticed that he was seeing everything in a strange tint of yellow green and blurring again. He blinked, hoping the weird coloration in his eyes would go away, but he gasped as it didn't. "I can't be turning now!"

Christophe walked over to Nick and placed a clammy hand on the survivor's forehead. He hissed with doubt, "You're burning up, your eyes are beginning to become luminescent, and you'll begin to notice jaw pain."

"Jaw pain?" Nick repeated. As if on cue, his jaw began to strain and ache as his teeth evolved into sharp, gnarly dog like teeth.

He grunted as he grabbed his jaw, trying to stop the transformation, but to be to no avail. He shouted with sharp agony as he closed his eyes and held his head in his hands. His whole body began shaking uncontrollably. He cried as his finger nails began to painfully grow jagged and outwards more, making them looking like claws.

Pot the Jockey had enough waiting, so he cackled as he jumped on top of Nick's neck and use the garrote to begin choking and cutting the skin around his neck. Nick yelped and shouted as he felt the sharp piano wire cut into his flesh like paper and feeling blood beginning to trickle down his throat. Pot rode him around in a circle while choking him, but Nick had an idea of getting rid of his rider.

He noticed that Pot has been riding him around the same park bench and he also noticed that the back of the benches had spikes that prelude off it. He let his legs go limb and he fell sideways. Pot impaled his head off of the back of a bench, the spike stabbing through his brain, silencing him forever.

"Pot!" Chain and Ruby shouted as the saw their comrade go limb and saw Nick free himself from the garrote's chokehold. He began coughing as he ran his fingers around his wounds and winced slightly as he touched his open injury on his neck. Chain snarled and charged after Nick, his brass knuckles ready to swing into his torso. "That's it, you mother-fucker! Time to visit a world of agony!"

Nick spun around and Christophe shoved Chain out of the survivor's way. Ruby shouted at the Common, "What the fuck, traitor!" She used her long, snaring tongue to trap Christophe and pull him off her boyfriend.

Steele saw the Huntress fidget and he soothed, "Pleo, don't fret about Pot. You still have me."

"Why did Pot attack him? He's one of us!" she countered at the Haggard.

Steele was taken aback and he snarled back, "No he's not! He's a filthy human! A monster with a gun! He's a merciless predator who preys on our kind!"

"Can't you see he's changing? He's been infected!"

"The difference is that he's of a strong mind! He'll turn on us!" Steele pulled a jagged javelin from his back and stood in a thrower's stance. "I will not let that happen!"

Nick saw the monster stand on his hind legs and took the stance. He knew that stance alone was bad news, so his human instinct kicked in and he dropped to the ground. The javelin went zooming over his head and it impaled a nearby tree. The creature snarled and began lumbering towards Nick, outraged.

"Oh shit!" he shouted as he sprang to his feet. Steele went to swing his arm at the con man, but suddenly a big light shined down on the large creature. Nick shielded his eyes as he looked up into the sky. He smiled as he saw the ZVS helicopter hovering over his head, shining the search light down on the Haggard. Steele snarled as he plucked another javelin off his back and threw it at the propellers. Thankfully, Alex saw the projectile coming, so he was able to make the helicopter strafe in midair.

Francis shouted, "Eat lead!" as he unleashed a storm of bullets from the mounted machine gun down on the general area. Nick had to flee the spotlight to prevent being shot. Steele hissed as dodged the incoming fire and threw another javelin spike at the heli. The spike struck the chopper this time, causing it to rock violently. Sheila, who was thankfully in a repel harness, fell out of the chopper. She screamed as the rope slackened, causing her to slip through the air without anything to stop her or slow down. Hearing her screams, Rochelle and Francis quickly grabbed the rope although they got slight rope burn.

"Sheila!" Nick yelled in terror as he ran directly under the helicopter, planning on catching her if she was dropped.

Hearing her name in a snarling tone, she looked down and gasped at what she saw. Below her was a Common wearing a bloody and ripped up army uniform, ruffled up black hair, and glowing green eyes. Before she could study this strange zombie more, the rope slackened, causing her to fall through the air again and right into the zombie's arms. "Ahh!" she screamed as she scrambled out of the Common's arms.

Nick was hurt that Sheila wanted to get away from him so bad, then he thought not to take it to heart; he is turning into a zombie. Suddenly, she growled as she grabbed her dual pistols and began pumping lead into Steele's metal-covered body. The Haggard snarled, realizing that he was hurting and needed to make a retreat. His Smoker followers also saw their odds slipping to the attackers' favor so with a wheezing cough, they fled the scene, leaving Christophe mauled to bloody bits on the ground.

"Christophe!" Nick shouted as he ran over to his Common friend. Sheila placed one pistol back into the holster and slowly, but cautiously followed the familiar Common.

Christophe coughed up blood as his eyelids slowly opened to see Nick running towards his side. "Nick? Did Steele get ya, mate?"

"No", he replied as he kneeled down. "Sheila nearly died because of him."

"Who?" the older Common asked. He looked to Nick's side and saw Sheila, shaking with one pistol in her hand. "Oh. That's Sheila. She's a human."

"Yeah. She is part of my team."

All Sheila could hear was grunts and grumbles among the two zombies. "Um…"

Nick's attention snapped back to Sheila. "Sheila!" he shouted as he stood up, "Can you contact the others? My radio's dead from the horde attack back at the gas station."

Sheila gripped her pistol tighter, for all she heard was: "Shharrr! Crauu rah huur maun? Fhh druugh wawr klleh hoooor coahr kuuen."

Nick didn't understand why she was suddenly so afraid and edgy of him. Can he still speak English? "Can't you understand me? It's Nick."

"She can't understand us", a female voice answered.

Both male infected looked in the direction of the voice, but all they needed to hear was Sheila's curse, "Hunter. Damn, where's Chris when I need her?"

Nick frowned and whimpered, "I ask myself that every day, Sheila."

"I told you, mate", Christophe stated as he painfully sat up.

It was Pleo, the female Hunter who argued with Steele, refusing to fight Nick. She twirled the baseball bat in her claws in a casual manner and replied, "The human can't understand us because the infection has affected our vocal cords. To her, what we think is English is really a series of growls and moans."

"Thanks for clearing that problem up. What's your name?" Nick asked the Huntress.

"It's Pleo. Not a flashy nickname that the other Specials give themselves", she answered.

"Pleo. What a very pretty name", Christophe grinned.

She looked at the downed Common and shrugged, "It's just different. Do you think you'll be okay?"

The British Common looked down at his mangled body and replied, "Only one way to find out." He grunted and yelped as he struggled to stand up on his feet. Nick and Pleo grabbed him by the arms and helped him up the rest of the way. "Ok. I'm good, mates", he replied as he planted his feet to the ground and stood up straight. They nodded and let him go.

Nick smiled to see the British Common still able to move. "Think you can make it to Mercy Hospital?"

"Hell yeah, you wanker!" he snapped in a kidding tone.

Pleo nodded and asked Nick, "What's that Mercy Hospital?"

"That's where I'm going to meet up with the rest of my team."

She looked at the con man and sighed heavily, "Honey, I hate to be the one to say this, but there's no hope now."

"What? Of course there's hope!" Nick barked at her.

"Nick, right? Listen to yourself! You think there's a cure out there? You're just bullshitting your mind into thinking these obnoxious fantasies!"

Nick growled at the Huntress. She only shook her head, clearing not intimidated by him. Sheila, however, was wondering why the zombies are 'fighting' among themselves. She only wished she knew what they were saying. Then she remembered how Chris was able to understand that Hunter while everyone else was confused as hell. The scratch helped transfer DNA traces of the virus (in a non-infective way) into her blood and it affected her auditory system to a point to understand some of the zombies' grunts and growls.

Sheila walked over to Christophe, grabbed his hand and forced his nails to break the skin on her arm. She yelped in pain, while Nick, Pleo and Christophe gasped, seeing what the crazy human was done.

"Sheila! Why did you force that scratch on yourself?" Nick snapped at her. He was mad, but also concerned about her. The last thing he needed was to lose her like he lost Chris. He saw Sheila as a little, crazy sister.

As she used her health kit to tend to the scratch, she looked up and heard Nick's words much more clearly. "Nick? What happened to you!"

His glowing green eyes widened a little, while Christophe smiled and explained, "What a clever girl. She figured out that through a small scratch can transfer some DNA without turning."

"I only heard half of that", Sheila replied as she rolled her jacket sleeve down to help protect the wound.

"It'll get better and clearer as time goes on, love", Christophe grinned.

She saw the grin and quickly stated in an icy tone, "I've got a boyfriend, zombie."

Pleo chuckled, "Nice to see that. Well, Nick, since you're so determined on this wild dream of yours, let's get to the hospital."

Nick smiled and nodded, "Alright. Let's go."

The quartet trekked through the park, prepared in case Steele and his two Smoker friends decided to come back. Nick got sicker and sicker with each step he took, causing Sheila to be concerned. "Nick? What happened to you? Did you get bit?"

Nick looked over his shoulder, sighed and nodded. Christophe examined Nick as they weaved through the alleys towards the hospital. "He's much stronger than I thought. His body has restricted the infection from spreading too far, enabling him more time to maintain his normal brain functions, such as thoughts, memories, emotions, etc."

Pleo scoffed, "Well, he is immune, isn't he?"

"To a degree, yes. A single Common bite won't turn him fully, since his immune system is very strong and very healthy. However, if a Hunter or a Special Infected bit him, then that's a different story."

"I'd very much like to hear it", Nick demanded.

The British zombie sighed and nodded, "If a Special Infected bit you, you would be turned, no matter how strong your immune system is."

Sheila and Nick gulped as they emerged from the dark, bloodied alleyway and stared at the huge building in front of them. They looked up and the group nearly lost their balance for looking up at it. One of the levels was under construction, which made Nick and Sheila a little nervous about traveling up there. In big, green, neon letters spelled out 'Mercy Hospital'.

Nick smiled, "We made it."

A huge wave of static buzzed into Sheila's ears, causing her to cringe and made her walk into an area with better reception. "Hello? Can you repeat that? I didn't copy."

Thanks to the zombies' advanced hearing, all three of them hear a Southern accent on the other side of the radio. "Sheila, are ya ok?"

"I'm fine…for now."

"What'cha mean, babe?"

She turned to the trio of infected and spoke into the microphone, "I'm in mixed company right now."

"Zombies?"

"Yeah, but these zombies are different. They're intelligent. And one is…Nick."

"Nick turned already?" the voice sounded frantic when it heard the news. "Aw man that's not good. Shit."

"Ellis, listen to me. I'm just outside the hospital. Is there-?"

"What are you doin' outside the hospital!"

Ellis' booming voice caused Sheila to cringe again. "I fell out of the chopper. Thankfully, I'm ok. No broken bones. Nick caught me, so will you chill the hell out?"

"Sorry darlin', but I just get so worried about you sometimes."

"Apology accepted. Now, tell me is there anything what we have that can safely transfer live zombies back to the base?"

Her request caused the trio's ears to perk up. "What was Sheila thinking?" Nick thought.

Suddenly, a barrel of a sniper rifle rested behind Nick's neck, followed by a hissing, Southern-thick, threat, "Don't move, zombie or I'll blow your brains out!"

Nick's eyes widened in fear and worry; Ellis was never the violent type, so seeing him like this scared the con man. He looked at his zombified comrades and gave them a look that said 'Remain calm and don't do anything brash.'

Sheila spun around and saw Ellis threatening to blow Nick's head off. She quickly ran to the red neck and shouted, "No Ellis! Don't shoot! That's Nick!"

Ellis blinked and took another look at the zombie at the end of his weapon's barrel. He gulped as he quickly retracted the firearm and shamefully apologized, "Aw Nick, I'm sorry bro."

Nick finally relaxed and began ranting, but thanks to Ellis' lack of the virus, he only heard snarls and groans come from Nick's throat. Sheila face-palmed because she understood most of the con man's rant. Ellis turned back to Sheila and embraced her warmly. She smiled and embraced back.

"I'm so glad you're ok, darlin'!" the red neck cried.

She soothed, "I'm a girl from Boston. It's hard to keep me down. Where's everyone else?"

Ellis inhaled through his teeth and answered, "We got separated, thanks to a bunch of Chargers and Jockeys. I hate those mother-fuckers."

Sheila's face paled. Nick, on the other hand, was a lot calmer than usual. "Sheila, don't worry about it. After all, we're all heading to the same place." To prove his point, he pointed to the huge building in front of him.

"You're right, Nick. The others will be able to meet up with us here."

Christophe and Pleo looked at each and then at Ellis, who still had Sheila in his arms. Once Ellis looked their way, he gulped, "I hope they're as intelligent as you said they are."

She giggled a little and replied, "They are. The Common is Christophe. He was a scientist before he was turned, so he can maybe help us find a cure. The Huntress is Pleo."

"What can she do?" Ellis asked innocently.

Pleo scowled, "I can kick your ass. How's that, country boy?"

Sheila glared at Pleo, who politely shrugged and pointed to the hospital. Nick nodded and reloaded his Assault rifle, which he has been using to fend off against Special Infected.

Christophe waved his hand and limped forward towards the building. Nick and Pleo followed him without a problem or hesitation. Sheila and Ellis, however, were a little edgy about trusting a Common zombie. They looked at each other and both were almost thinking of the same thing: can we trust them?

Nick turned back around and whistled after them. They blinked and hastily ran after Nick, who seemed to be their only life line in this group. They know Nick. They trust Nick. Nick is their friend and always will be. If things go wrong, they can only hope that Nick will be by their side to fight back as a human, not as a zombie.

Inside the hospital, bodies were everywhere. Blood was splattered against the walls, while pools of it surrounded bodies, covering the once white floor a bright red. Poles that hold bags of blood were toppled over, causing the advancing team to step over them.

Nick looked down into a pool of blood and was amazed on how zombie-like he looked. No wonder Ellis got so threatening. His face was completely pale, his once emerald green eyes now glow menacingly in a green-yellow hue and his random splats of blood painted his face from all of the close combat fighting he has been doing. "Sheila? Do I really look like a zombie?"

The Boston girl turned to Nick and placed a hand on his shoulder and sadly nodded, "I'm afraid so, pal. Hopefully, a cure will be found. Besides, Christophe said your immune system is strong enough to resist it."

"Yeah, for now at least." He sighed and whispered to himself, "If I get killed, I know it won't be all bad. I'd be with Chris."

Ellis tapped into his microphone as the team trekked up the big flight of stairs. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

At first, only static answered him. Shortly after, Coach's voice came through, "I hear ya, young'un. What's goin' on?"

"I found Sheila and Nick. Nick is turning and he's make allies with other zombies."

There was a small pause from Coach. "What kind of allies, Ellis?"

"A scientist Common and a female Hunter. They haven't even tried to attack Sheila and me yet! That must count for something. Damn, I hate stairs", he huffed.

"Well, the rest of us took the elevator", the older man boated.

Ellis groaned, "Thanks for rubbin' it in, Coach. I think we should study these zombies."

"Find any tranquilizers you can find and meet us up on the roof. Coach out."

The redneck nodded and they made it to the 20th floor. Everyone stopped for a breather once they were out of the stairwell. Pleo asked Nick, "What's going to happen to us, Nick?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. This world is changing. We must let go of the past and look towards the future, even if we are-"

"No. I meant what will your human friends do to us?"

"Oh! Oh, they'll take us to the base and run some tests, hopefully finding a cure."

Christophe asked Nick, "What was all that talk about 'embracing the future', mate?"

"Nothing", he answered automatically.

There was a small pause, until Christophe broke the silence again, "You want to talk about it?"

"No."

The group looked through the hallways and rooms, hoping to find any kind of tranqs to put the transporting zombies to sleep. Most of them were in biohazard rooms. Doctors most likely used them to calm their patients down when they thrashed at them. Ellis and Sheila collected them, fearing if Nick, Christophe or Pleo grabbed the wrong end of the needle, they would collapse onto the floor useless. The total of tranqs they found was four.

Taking the elevator to the roof, they were about to met up with the rest of the group…along with a whole mess of zombies. Nick, Ellis, and Sheila grinned as they readied their weapons and joined the fray on the roof top. Christophe and Pleo watched from the sidelines, hoping not to see their infected brothers shot down in cold-blood.

Nick switched his Assault rifle for his grenade launcher and scurried up a ventilation pipe. He shouted to the zombies, "Say hello to my little friend!" They looked up and suddenly, the large group of commons became a zombie chop suey. "Aha!" he shouted.

Soon enough, everything on the roof became quiet and still. No more zombies rushed to eat the survivors' faces. No Smoker coughing. No Hunter snarling. No Boomer burping. Nothing from the zombies. The only infected that was still on the roof intact was Nick, Christophe and Pleo. "Mission complete", Zoey grinned.

Several hours later, military tanks roamed the streets, transporting troops to the now zombie-free hospital. Helicopters hovered over the roof, propelling troops down. The general spoke with the team about their next steps on finding a cure. Pleo and Christophe are perfect for testing on. They were going to remain at the Hospital, where they can be isolated earlier and where medical and scientific supplies are plentiful.

Sarge shouted to his band of ZVS as they scrambled back to the roof, "Attention!"

Automatically, the group got into a straight line, standing still and tall, waiting for the Sarge's next order. "Sir, yes, sir!" they barked in unison.

"Great job, team! Rowker!"

Nick stepped forward, waiting for his superior to hiss at him or even flat-out kill him. "Sir!"

"You have been infected! Is that true, soldier!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

He scanned his undead soldier's body top to bottom and stated, "You are extremely lucky that your team care for you so much! My original plan was to blow your fucking brains out!"

"Sir, that option would've suck, sir!"

"You will remain here and be tested on, along with your other undead friends! The rest of you, get to the chopper!" Without any further orders, he hopped into the helicopter's co-pilot seat.

"Guys?" Nick called out to his team. Sadly, only Sheila heard him. She turned and saw Nick smile. "Thank you."

**Me: Done! Finally!**

**Pleo: I know. And it's only…3:24 am. Kudos.**

**Me: Thanks. Five more reviews peeps! I promise the next chapter will be awesome!**

**Pleo: Good. This one was a little boring.**

**Me: Not really. Spectre…oops; he is not in this chapter! Lolz! **

**Pleo: You need to go to sleep. You're losing it.**

**Me: I know I am. Need to watch something first.**

**Pleo: No. Bed.**

**Christophe: Our creator doesn't own anything L4D2 or L4D. Just the OCs she owns.**

**Pleo: Thanks, Christophe.**

**Christophe: No problem, mate!**


	10. Chapter 10

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 10: Reunion Part 1**_

**Lazerlemon: Hey, everyone! This part is the zombie part. Umm…one question, though: what's a zombie?**

"I can't believe it's been a month," I sighed as Nathan and I escorted the wounded Scar back to the sugar mill.

"A very short, but eventful month," Nathan added.

The lead Hunter nodded as he limped slightly through the entrance of the mill. As he limped up the ramp and fell into the factory, all of the witches turned to him and gasped. "What happened to you, Scar?" one asked urgently.

Scar grunted as he watched Nathan and I hop through the hole and into the factory. "I got into a nasty fight."

"Who hurt you, baby?" another asked as she walked to the Hunter and hugged him tenderly. Scar didn't show the same affection to her. I can only guess that she wanted him, but not vice versa. Nathan, on the other hand, was slightly confused by the witch's actions.

Scar sighed. He knows I'm friends with his attacker, but he is his enemy. Should he betray me by revealing his attacker's identity? After all, it was partly his fault for attacking him in the first place. Before he could come up with an answer, Melissa strutted forward.

Pointing a long claw at me, she sneered, "I bet you did it, Star Hunter!"

"What?" I growled as I stormed up to her. "Why in the hell would I attack Scar?"

"Star Hunter's got a point," a random witch stated, "Why would she attack him?"

"Because Star Hunter wants to lead!" the bitchy witch snarled at her underling.

I laughed darkly, "Ha! I'm no leader! If it wasn't for Spectre, Whisperin' Oaks would've been taken over by humans!"

All of the witches suddenly gasped over the name. Even Melissa gasped with horror. I gulped as Nathan asked, "Was it something you said?"

Scar nodded, but didn't say a word. Melissa turned to me and snarled, "Are you in league with that mutt?"

"Hey!" I snarled back, "He may be a mutt, but he's my friend!"

Scar winced while the witches grew deadly quiet. Their glowing red eyes stared at me, but I was unfazed by the witches' 'death glare'. Nathan nodded, which was the biggest positive feedback I've obtained in this situation. "What did you say, Star Hunter?" Melissa hissed lowly.

"Spectre…is…my…friend," I spoke slowly, but proudly as I repeated my sentence for the bitch. She blinked as the sentence sank into her pale head. The dumb-struck look on her face made me smirk with pride.

Suddenly, she screamed with her claws out. She charged towards me, ready to tear me to bits, but Scar leaped in front of me and roared angrily at the vicious witch. She stopped dead in her tracks and held her claws to her side. "What are you doing, Scar? She's in league with your mortal enemy."

"Melissa! That's no excuse to attack one of our own!" Scar snapped as he swung his claw through the air as if to swipe something. She actually began to cower at his booming voice. "It doesn't matter what happened in the past! Spectre, like it or not, is…on my turf."

Every witch in the mill gasped and began muttering to each other in very hushed whispers. Nathan and I knew it was rumors. One witch asked Scar, "It was Spectre who attacked you?"

He lowered his head and nodded, "Yes. However, I attacked first."

"Why is he on your turf in the first place?" another one asked.

Melissa looked at me and answered her comrade's question, "It was Star Hunter who did this! She let Spectre tag along and she led him to Scar, our beloved leader!"

All of the witches then glared at me with scary malice in their eyes. Even Nathan felt unsafe here. "You didn't do that. I know that for a fact", Nathan whispered to me.

I nodded as I stood in front of him, making sure if the witches did attack, that I would be hit first and not Nathan. "I know you know, but these witches don't and they're too short tempered to listen."

"Except for Chloe," Nathan innocently added.

I nodded, "That's right."

"One more thing: why are these witches calling you 'Star Hunter'?"

I shrugged at the teen's question. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm Scar's star pupil."

Nathan growled and snapped, "Hey! I'm Scar's star pupil!"

I was taken aback by the young Hunter's tone of voice. Scar trained him as well? Whatever the case may be, I offended the poor kid. The least I can do is apologize and ask.

Before I got a chance to even open my mouth to talk, Melissa hissed at Nathan, causing the poor boy to shrink closer into my back for safety, "It's the tattoo on her claw, you little shit!"

"Hey!" I hissed at her, causing Nathan to gasp, "You do not snap at him for asking a question! Now back off!"

Melissa, without warning, slashed me across the face with her right claw. Nathan gasped in horror as a nasty four-clawed wound nearly ripped my left cheek off. Blood poured out of the wounds as I stumbled slightly to the side. Nathan growled at the vicious witch, who turned on him and planned on attacking him.

Scar grabbed Melissa's arm and bellowed at her. "I've told you not to attack one of our own, Melissa!"

The witch screeched at him, "She's not one of us! Neither is that little follower!"

Scar slapped her with the back of his claw and snarled, "You know better than that! Looks like you must be punished."

She stared at him with her eyes full of rage and malice. I asked Nathan as Scar began to drag the insane witch away, "How do witches get punished?"

"They are chained up at the limbs and must be beaten if they snap back or anything bad like that."

I watched Scar go to a bloodied wall that was covered with chains. He snarled as Melissa began cussing at him for siding with the 'Star Hunter'. Scar ignored her curses and chained her left arm up over her head. Since the chains had some slack to them, Melissa thrashed out at Scar. He hissed as her right claw slashed across his chest, a place where Spectre has stabbed and shifted a rib. Nathan and I gasped, but Scar didn't seem to falter all that much, to our surprise. "He's like a soldier," Nathan replied, admiring Scar's determination and pain tolerance.

"Yeah, he is," I admitted.

Scar wrestled with her right claw and finally got it chained to the wall. With an exhausted huff, he kneeled down and chained her legs. "I'm sorry Melissa, but you of all witches know the rules. I will not tolerate traitorous behavior on my team."

"B-but did you ever think that she will betray you?" the witch countered as she glared at me with her ruby glowing eyes.

The head Hunter sighed, "Yes I have."

"Then why aren't you listening to me? She can betray you with your archenemy!"

Scar snarled and punched the chained witch in the stomach, making her whimper in pain. "She would never betray me!"

"Do you love her or something? Is she your girlfriend?" the witch hissed at the enraged Hunter.

Nathan snickered like an immature teenager that he was, while I cleared my throat, signaling that we were still in their presence and can hear everything they're saying. Scar punched her again, but this time, he punched her in the right boob. Her previous whimper turned into a blood-curling yelp of pain. Even I grabbed my boobs because I've felt that pain before.

He snarled at her, but didn't say another word on the subject. With one last punch to the gut, he spun his heel and walked away from the raging witch. He passed Nathan and I and commanded, "You two have done well with the job. You can go back to Whisperin' Oaks now."

"Scar, I wanna-"

"That's an order that I expect to be followed immediately, Christina," he spoke in a very icy tone, which stopped me from even arguing back.

Nathan and I nodded and hopped away from the lead Hunter and his witch posse. I know those witches will keep him safe. I know Spectre is strong, but is he strong enough or foolish enough to take down all of those witches at once? By my observation and my experience with him, I really doubt it…unless I'm in the middle of that fray.

Lazerlemon ran across the fairgrounds, doing his best to search for any human activity. Ever since the fight with the human soldiers, patrols have doubled and have been more spread out. In my absence, Lazerlemon is the leader. He knows how big this responsibility is, so he doesn't want to disappoint me or Scar for failing to carry out the task. The young Hunter took a deep breath and continued on his patrol. The last thing he wants is to disappoint the Huntress he considers to be a mother to him.

Sadly, the patrol and failure weren't the only things on his mind. The fight between Spectre and Scar has scared the poor Hunter into a very edgy state, especially since Spectre is still on the grounds. He's afraid of the chimera attacking him. "I wish Chris didn't leave me alone with him still around," he whimpered.

He stopped and took a small breather at the entrance gate. So far, he hasn't seen the infected Marine, but Lazerlemon knew not to underestimate him. He nearly killed Scar single-handedly; fighting the Hunter was a very risky gamble very few wanted to take. If Spectre has the power to actually kill the strongest Hunter in this zombie army, then Lazerlemon knew he wouldn't last five seconds against him in a fight.

Spectre was in the shadows, watching the young, blonde Hunter stop from his exhausting patrol. He sighed with shame, knowing how important Scar is to Lazerlemon. However, he can't simply go on as if nothing happened. He needs to set the record straight and apologize for nearly killing his male guardian.

"Is 'Star Hunter' your code name?" Nathan asked me as we trekked through the swamps.

"No. I don't know why they call me that." I looked down at my claws and suddenly remembered that I had a star tattoo on my right hand. I stood up on my hind legs and examined my right hand closer. Thin red lines ran across the top of my hand, making the tattoo look redder than blue. Then I remembered that it was Scar who inflicted this injury on me. It was back in New Orleans, about a month ago, when I was still human.

I sighed at the memory then answered, "It may be my tattoo they're referring to. It's a red and blue star on my right hand."

"Melissa did say something about that, but I was too scared to really look," he replied.

I held out my inked hand and he took a long look at it. "What happened with the color?"

"Scar fought against me when I was a human. He sliced the guitar strings and they cut into my hand."

"Ouch!" Nathan winced, as if he could feel my pain.

I then asked him, "Why did you get so offended back at the sugar mill?"

He looked down and sighed, "It's because I was trained by Scar about two months ago, along with my older sister, Anna."

"A sister? I didn't know you had a sister," I replied.

The Hunter nodded sadly, "Yeah. She saved my life, but it cost her own. In vengeance, I tracked down the four survivors that attacked us and killed three of them, while infecting the fourth one. Ever since that attack, I've been training long and hard to become Scar's successor." His tone grew shaky as he inhaled, "But now that you're here, you're a shoe in for that title."

I gripped Nathan's shoulder and spoke softly to calm him down a little, "I won't be his successor. I promise you that, Nathan. I don't want to be a Huntress forever. I'm sure there's a cure somewhere. I'm dying to be human again."

Nathan asked as he looked up at me, "Why? Don't you like it here?"

"Well…" I paused, thinking of the events over the past four weeks. I saved my best friends, got infected, learned the basics of being a Hunter, met Spectre, and nearly got killed several times. To say the least, it's been a very busy month. In fact, I forgot how the month flies by as if it was nothing. "I do, but…argh…I don't know. That's a question I'd have to think over."

"Do you have any remaining family to go to?" Nathan asked as we climbed through the wreckage of the airplane.

I sighed and shook my head as we scrambled out through the massive hole in the plane's hull. "No. Well, I do have a twin brother somewhere. The sad thing is I don't even know who he is, or where he is. I can only pray that he's ok."

Nathan smiled, "Don't worry! I'm sure he's ok! If he's like you, then he's a total badass!"

"Thanks, Nate!" I smiled at the young Hunter.

"Hey, do you have other brothers and sisters?"

I nodded sadly, "Nathan, let me tell you a long and tragic story."

Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, Spectre carefully slid into Lazerlemon. "Hey, Lazerlemon?" The young Hunter yelped when he was spooked. He sighed and continued, "Sorry 'bout getting into a fight with Scar."

He gulped, being the presence of the Marine. Anger swept through his blood, remembering what I told him about seeing Scar under Spectre's boot. If I didn't interfere when I did, then Scar would've died. Lazerlemon took a brave stance and growled, "No, you're not! You almost killed him!"

The chimera sighed, "It was in self defense." He paused for a second and sighed again, "Look, Lazerlemon. He knows I'm a soldier at heart. He knows I don't follow orders. He's like…" he stopped, trying to find the right word as he searched for it in his clattered mind for the right analogy. "He's like a Soviet," he gritted his teeth, silently cursing to himself, overestimating the Hunter's young mind; "Anyone who doesn't listen to him gets killed."

The preteen wasn't convinced by the older male's words. "So? Chris disobeys him all the time! And yet, she's still alive!"

"That's because she's his sister," Spectre blurted out.

The young blonde Hunter froze. "Wait…Chris is Scar's…sister?"

"Yeah," the chimera nodded. "She's an Alpha, as what I called Hunters with the ability of invisibility and regeneration. I am an Epsilon, or the fifth attempt at what was SUPPOSED to be a superior soldier with no risk of Infection. It half-worked," he chuckled.

The blonde pup cocked an eyebrow, clearly confused with the terms and classifications that the battle-ridden chimera was using. "Huh? What? I'm confused, Spectre. I thought you were a chimera."

He smiled, showing off his fang-like teeth, "Let me explain. Epsilon was the fifth 'class' of attempted Legion soldiers, or people who were infected yet retained their humanity and show no outward signs of Infection but have enhanced speed and strength like a Hunter or tank, so they blended the two, and poured a little Witch into the process for shits and giggles. Didn't work out too well, I guess," he held up a clawed hand.

Lazerlemon tilted his head to the side and Spectre laughed heartily, "I can tell by your expression that you're wondering why. Well, it's because, well, a soldier can't punch a Special hard enough to snap its neck or jump two stories or bench-press a Prius. They wanted to create soldiers that could do that, and so attempted to. That's their- our- beauty as humans. IF we don't have something, we build it. Of course, it always leads to... well, us, killing each other, but..." he stopped.

"But what?" the young Hunter asked.

He chuckled. "We're Americans. Not fully human anymore, but... Simple people, farmers and blacksmiths and doctors, taking up arms and turning on the largest army in the world. The human, American, spirit. That drives to improve life. Nothing will ever kill that." Then he laughed, "Sorry, Lazer. Ignore my rant. You're still not old enough to truly understand. Besides, the way I explain things can be confusing."

Despite how poetic that sounded, the word 'kill' rung back into Lazerlemon's ears, making him edgy again. "Would you ever kill me or Chris?"

"No." He replied simply as he sat down. "You two are family to me."

"But we're not related."

"Not in a literal sense."

"Oh." There was a silence that loomed over the two male zombies. No one will know who will break the dreaded silence first.

As Nathan and I walked back through the safe room to get into the amusement park, I sighed with relief to be back 'home'. Nathan asked, "Where do you think Spectre is?"

"If I know Spectre, he's everywhere and nowhere at the same time," I replied. "You've done your job, Nathan. Go take it easy."

He nodded and asked, "What will you be doing?"

"I'm going to crash on that bench near the bumper cars and find myself something sugary to drink," I smiled.

He smiled and actually gave me a hug. Shocked at first, I stood there, letting the teen embrace me. After about seven seconds, I returned his embrace. He sniffled a little, alerting me that he was crying or at least tearing up. "Thanks, Chris."

"For what, Nate?"

"Thanks for listening to me and understanding my pain."

I gently rubbed his back and cooed, "No problem, young one. Nate, you and I have lost our siblings. I understand and feel your pain. Well, if it makes you feel a little better, I've always saw you as my brother."

He sniffled again, "I've always seen you as a sister."

"Good," I smiled. He loosened his grip and I let him go. "If you find Lazerlemon, tell him to relax, ok?" The teen smiled and nodded as he hopped away. I sighed and felt my broken heart feel a little better as I watched the young Hunter disappear from my sight. My sudden lack of energy reminded me of my plan: sit down and drink some soda…if I can find any!

"What happened?"

"Huh?" Spectre asked, "What do you mean?"

Lazerlemon approached his question with caution. "The fight. What happened? I mean, what started it? I only know the ending…" Lazerlemon gulped a little. My description of Spectre's would-be victory was gory and graphic to say the least.

"Oh. Well, Chris and I were about to hug when that young Hunter she send to get Scar came back." He smirked to himself, knowing that there was no hug involved in that banter. He cleared his throat and continued, "He crashed into my back by accident and send me into her, lips first. Scar saw and got pissed off. He attacked me when I was trying to take a nap."

Lazerlemon dismissed all other information once he heard 'lips first.' "You kissed Chris?"

"Not on purpose," he quickly defended himself.

The blonde pup retorted, "You still kissed her!"

The chimera hopped to his feet and countered, "What do you want me to do? Un-kiss her?"

"Is that even possible?"

"No."

"Then why did you suggest it? Chris is like a mother to me! That's just weird," the little Hunter scowled. The older male looked down and sighed. The fact that Spectre didn't snap back make Lazerlemon curious. "Unless…" With a quick exhale, the pup asked, "Do you love her?"

Spectre choked on air for that split second, but nodded regardless, "Yes."

Lazerlemon stared at him for a second of shock until he blurted out, "Oh my God! I knew it!"

"Then why did you ask?"

"I was just checking! You should tell her!"

The chimera gave the young Hunter a look, but then he saw movement. He looked up and saw Nathan trotting down the bloody path. He quickly called out to him, "Hey Nathan!" The teen stopped and timidly waved to the males. He didn't want to make small talk with Spectre right now. He just nodded and walked away.

Spectre stretched his back and said, "I'll see you later, Lazerlemon. I've got a date with a bottle of vodka."

"Ok." The Hunter yawned and curled up on the bench he was on. "Nathan's here, so Chris must be back."

Spectre smirked, "Yeah. Well, I'll see you later." He trotted out into the shadows and smirked, remembering where he kept that bottle.

I collapsed on the wooden bench and groaned. "I need a beer or something sugary to keep my energy up!"

Spectre found his vodka and was drinking it on a nearby rooftop. Taking a big gulp of the Russian water, he sighed, "Verdamnt, why did I have to get myself into that fight?" He rubbed his face and groaned.

I turned my head to the side and saw a Pepsi vending machine. My eyes lit up as I saw it. I haven't had a Pepsi in so long; the sugary, fizzy soda that refreshes a dry throat and a chapped mouth, while bringing deliciousness into the body. I rolled off the bench and walked over to the machine. "Yummy," I groaned, almost tasting the soda already. I looked down at the special lock that keeps the machine in one piece. I growled, noticing that trying to pick it with my claws will be useless. I just took it with my fingers and tore it off. Surprised by my strength, I quipped, "Damn! I wish I was this strong when I was being chased by cops. Hopping chain link fences would've been so easy."

I opened the machine and saw all of the Pepsi products inside. The machine was still plugged in and the whole electric grid was activated when my team rushed through the merry-go-round. I plucked a cold Pepsi from the slot and twisted the cap off. Hearing the bubbles pop and fizz relaxed my nerves. I smiled as I brought the bottle to my chapped lips and poured the black soda down my drought-of-a-throat. I sighed with relief and was enjoying the taste. "That's much better." I took another bottle of Pepsi and walked back to the bench.

The image of Spectre glaring down on Scar as he almost curb-stomped him replayed in my head, causing me to sigh and release a small growl. "Thank God Scar can regenerate", I concluded, seeing his body afterwards.

Spectre stood up, threw the bottle in the air after it was drained, and shot the bottle with his rifle without thinking; there was now a hole in it right thru the center before it shattered when it hit the ground.

I yelped as I sprang at the sound of gunfire. "Damn!" I shouted as I took cover behind the bench, thinking it was another survivor attack. My shoulder was still hurting me a little bit and after getting slashed by Melissa, I didn't want to get into a physical fight. I scanned the immediate area for humans and noticed no one. I growled as I got out of my hiding place and slowly advanced. My left claw stepped on a shard of glass and it sank into my skin. I yelped as I gently plucked the shard out. I watched my wound seal up as I looked around, noticing it was a smashed vodka bottle. "What the hell?" I growled, growing defensive, "Who's out there?"

Spectre sighed and hopped out of his hiding spot, "Just me. You know I'll always be here in our time of dying."

I spun around and breathed a sigh of relief. I feared it was another survivor attack. However, given the last time I saw him, it didn't put me at ease either. "Oh, hey Spectre…great song, by the way."

He blinked, "What song?" He was unaware he quoted a song.

"The song 'Time of Dying' by Three Days Grace.'I will not die. I'm waiting for you. I feel alive when you're beside me. I will not die. I'm waiting for you. In my time of dying.' It was one of my favorites back in the day." Singing a little of the song did make me relax a little, but I refused to let my guard down. However, the least I can do is be civil to him. "So… What have you up to since the fight?"

"I killed that vodka bottle and had a nap. You?" he asked in a bored tone.

"I escorted Scar back to the sugar mill...where he'll be safe during his recovery", I eyed him grudgingly. Apparently, Spectre saw right through my 'civil' cover and saw how angry I still was.

"I just defended myself."

"I can understand that. And I can understand why he attacked you in the first place. But you didn't have to fuckin' kill him!"

"I didn't now, did I?"

"Yeah. Severely injury him and walk away; that's what you should've done!" I growled. "I'm just lucky I saw that before you completed that fatality." Yeah, that would be a sight for Mortal Kombat for you. However, I don't think a simple curb-stomp would measure up to the brutality of that game.

"Well, he would just try to kill me again and again and again until ONE of us wound up dead!" Spectre snapped.

"I expected someone with your strength and your brains to find a solution to that problem!" I snapped back.

"I DID."

"So killin' him was your only option? How about running away or using your vanishing trick to escape the fight and finding me? Nowadays, I can calm him down and explain things to him without bloodshed."

"I know you've tried. If someone wants to kill you, they will try until either you are dead or they are."

"It's just...seeing you about to kill him...it scarred me bad." Then I sighed and asked randomly, "Why did you really leave Rayford? Was it because of me or was it a release from being the guardian of Bill's body?"

"Both." he said dryly.

His answer cooled me a little. "I wonder how I'm going to convince Scar to lay off your back, but seeing that display may not be a great idea."

"Eh." he shrugged. "He can come after me again if he wants... I hope he learned his lesson though."

I shrugged in response. "He's as stubborn as me. And he reminds me of my...adoptive father. He's over-protective and willing to kill those who oppose him."

Spectre sighed. "Joy."

"I know. I've had over-protective men in my life. I don't need more", I grumbled, as memories of Travis and Marshall flashed through my head. Then I snapped my claws and remembered, "The reason he doesn't want you near me is because you're dangerous. If you didn't engage into the fight at all, he may have a different opinion of you." I sighed, "A little too late for that. And why the hell am I working so hard to solve this problem?" I rubbed my temples, not knowing what to do with Spectre. Trust him, loathe him, hate him, or like him. My mind went in all directions and it gave me a headache.

Spectre sighed and looked at me softly, watching; he really didn't know what to do right now, a first for the Marine. He always had five different plans made out in his head- for once he didn't. It worried him greatly.

His ears perked when I began grumbling at him, "You looked like a major villain back there. I hope you know that."

"Wait a minute. Tell me what you saw, Chris."

"I saw you standing over Scar with your bloody boot just inches above his head," I grumbled as the image played in my head once again.

He sat on the bench. "Sit." he said in a tone that added, 'or else.' at the end of it. I growled lowly a bit as I obeyed. "There's nothing I hate more than someone seeing a small snippet of something and drawing conclusions off of that. He attacked me, and I defended myself; if I didn't do what I did, I would be dead, and I'm not sure if I'd come back from that."

"Come on now! Why didn't you run away and injure him enough to make a point? Not look like you'd curb-stomp his brains out?"

"Again with this idea?" the chimera thought. "If he attacks me again, no promises on what's going to happen. I don't let people attack me."

"What if I attacked you?"

"Then I'd pin you down until you stopped."

"I thought you'd kill me," I grumbled sourly. "You'd kill Scar if he attacked you again."

"If he attacks and I counter and he doesn't attack again, then I won't."

"Honorable," I noted. "I just wish I never saw that. It's changed the way I see you."

He sighed and leaned back. "I don't blame y' if you hate me."

I sighed, thinking back to the memories I've had with Spectre: meeting him, attending Bill's cremation, the long trip to Florida, watching him die, and that kiss All of the memories seem to equal to the fight. "I want to hate you...but I can't seem to bring myself to do it. At least not for long periods of time."

He nodded. "Because you know that Scar and I both overreacted, so... how 'bout we all just forget it happened?" he rubbed his injuries; they weren't as severe, but he didn't regenerate like Scar.

I looked at him and gave him a small smile, "Ok then." I raised my claw to him to shake.

He smiled and shook it, chuckling.

"Why are you chuckling," I asked as I squeezed his claw with mine.

"Because I can."

I shrugged as I pulled my claw out of his grip, "Ok then."

Lazerlemon hopped towards us and noticed that we weren't fighting or anything. So he beamed and blurted, "Hi Chris! I guess Spectre told you!"

"Told me what?"

Spectre immediately ran to the pup and slapped his claw against his mouth and chuckled sheepishly, "Nothing, Chris. Nothing to worry about." I crossed my arms and cocked an eyebrow at the chimera. He only grinned, showing off his Hunter-like teeth. He was hiding something and I have an urge to bug him about it.

Suddenly, I heard gunshots. I snarl, "Seriously?"

Spectre and Lazerlemon heard them too. Spectre's eyes grew steely as he vanished, going to scout ahead. I leaped up to the top of a tent and was careful not to fall through. With an almighty howl, I summoned Scar's gang to me: Chloe, Detour, Salt Lick, Sir Rambo, Booms, Abby, Brawn, and Nathan.

"What's going on?" Abby asked.

Lazerlemon replied, "Gunfire. That must mean survivors are nearby."

"Chris, do you want me to scout ahead?" Nathan asked.

I shook my head, "Nah. Someone's already scouting."

Sir Rambo looked at me suspiciously. "Who is?"

Spectre, suddenly poofed beside me with a "Shaun climbed down the slide to check if the Winchester was clear, but it's not" face. I gulped, knowing something is dead wrong.

Sir Rambo growled at the sight of the chimera. "He's here?"

"Uh-oh," I stated, forgetting that Sir Rambo is one of Scar's die-hard followers.

The Charger charged towards Spectre at top speed, wanting to smash him into a wall. The Marine stood his ground, flexing his claw. I knew what he was going to do. A split-second later, he hopped to side-step the huge one-armed zombie and raised his claw in the air to slash him into ribbons.

"Spectre! Don't! Hold your attack!" I shouted.

Despite his normal plan to simply attack the Charger, he growled lowly as he listened to me. Sir Rambo crashed into a chain link fence and ripped it from the ground. It did slow him down, thankfully.

"Now's not the time to fight ourselves!" I shouted. "Spectre, what did you see?"

"You're not going to like it," he stated, that face coming back.

"Is it that bad?"

"Maybe."

"Care to explain?"

He sighed, "It depends."

"Depends on what? Spectre, how many?"

"I counted nine coming this way."

"Are they military?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"Who's their leader?"

He gulped, "A man in his mid-thirties. He's got hazel eyes, slick black hair, and around his right hand is a blue bandana."

I gasped, "Nick…"

**Abby: Oh my God! This is going to be good!**

**Lazerlemon: I know, right! Place your bets now! Survivors vs. Infected! Who will win?**

**Abby: But this was only part 1 of the three part reunion chapter.**

**Lazerlemon: Wait? There's more?**

**Abby: Yeah. Our creator wants to break it up, so it can be updated more often.**

**Lazerlemon: Works for me! Spectre doesn't belong to our creator. He belongs to ****A little help here****.**

**Abby: Part 2 coming soon! **

**Lazerlemon: Stay tuned! 5 reviews please! For me!**


	11. Chapter 11

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 11: Red Fields of Georgia**_

"What is that?" the blonde-haired escort asked the scientist.

"This," he smiled at the syringe filled with a dark purple, syrupy liquid, "is our cure for the virus. No more zombies! We have done it!"

The female escort rolled her eyes and sighed, "My best friend will be very upset when he hears that. He's been looking forward to killing some zombies for awhile."

The scientist asked, "What is an army dog like you doing here among our brains of science?"

"A little full out yourself, eh?" she grumbled, slightly annoyed with his arrogant tone, "I'm here to escort Nick Rowker to the Sarge's office. No questions asked."

Lightly tapping the syringe with his finger nail, the scientist sighed, "Fine. I just need to inject him then he's all yours."

The scientist walked out of the lab into a room overlooking a circular area where Nick, Pleo and Christophe were being kept. The escort followed him and gasped at the room. "This is inhumane."

"This is humane, my dear," he replied sourly, "Inhumane would be cages, chains, or even death."

She growled in defeat, seeing his point, "Very well. Just inject them and get them out of there."

Loading the syringe into a pressure gun, the scientist took aim at Nick, whose head was directly in front of him. Opening a secret slot in the glass window, he pulled the trigger, the antidote-filled syringe zooming across the air and into Nick's neck. He yelped and fell to his side like a rock. He was out like a light from the suddenness of the shot.

Pleo gasped, "Nick!" as she hopped to his side.

Christophe looked up at the window, seeing the two figures looking at them, and sighed, "Pleo, relax. If it meant to kill, then they would've killed us already."

She looked up at the British Common and asked, "But why Nick?"

"Because he's a soldier, that's why. They want him back into the fight." He walked over and kneeled down next to Pleo, examining the injection site on Nick's neck. Quickly pulling out the needle out of his flesh, Christophe flicked Nick's nose to wake him up, "Nick? Can you hear me, mate?"

He groaned as he gained consciousness, "Why did that fucker shoot me?"

The scientist and escort gasped; they understood him.

"Incredible!" she gasped, covering her mouth with her gloved hand as she spoke.

The scientist's expression turned smug. "It was all my doing. I found the cure."

While they could understand Nick, the other two spoke in a series of growls and hisses. He rubbed his neck and replied sourly, "So let me get this straight; they shot me with a prototype?"

Christophe nodded, "Yes. We're guinea pigs for testing."

"That's no way to live," Pleo grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest. "This is imprisonment. I should know; I'm a fuckin' cop."

Nick's eyes widened, "You're a cop?"

"Yeah, Nick," she replied, turning to him, "Why? What's your profession?"

He gulped, "Con artist."

She chuckled, "Heh. No wonder you were shocked. Just be lucky I'm off duty."

Nick chuckled at her humor, "I know right." Clearing his throat, he asked Christophe, "Do I look any different? Sound any different?"

The Common shook his head, "Not really. Like I stated, it's a prototype."

"Right."

The blonde escort cautiously approached the group with a Magnum in her hands, just in case. The three stopped talking and looked up at the girl. She froze a bit, slightly nervous about setting them off to attack or something. Taking a deep breath, she pointed at Nick, "Come with me, Nick. The Sarge needs ya."

"Hey, kid," Nick started.

She snapped, "I'm no kid! I'm 20 years old!"

Nick smiled a bit as he stood up, "You can understand me?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Loud and clear. That injection must've helped."

Christophe and Pleo stood up as well. Christophe told Nick, "Don't get your hopes up, mate." To the girl, he just growled a sentence.

"I know, Christophe, but at least it's one step forward." Nick then chuckled to himself. Most of his life, he was a pessimist. Now, in his bleakest time, he's become quite optimistic. Turning back to his escort, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Victoria," she replied.

Pleo commented, "Nice name."

Nick translated, "She said 'nice name'."

"Oh. Thanks, pally," she beamed. "Come on, then. We can't keep the Sarge waiting."

Nick nodded, "Yeah, but what's going to happen to Pleo and Christophe?"

Victoria rubbed her chin and shrugged, "I don't know, but we can always ask that bloody scientist."

He nodded and followed her out of the circular prison. Walking into the lab, a female scientist took an empty syringe and injected Nick in the shoulder. He yelped and hissed, "What's with all of the needles!" He watched the vial fill with his blood before the needle was ejected from his skin.

Victoria shrugged again, "I don't know. Maybe blood tests to see if the cure is working."

"I hate to break a bubble of hope here, but this is a prototype."

She smirked, "That bursts no bubble of mine. It may burst his bubble," she pointed to the scientist who shot him with the antidote from the pressure gun. "Yo, doc!"

The said scientist looked up and his face displayed an expression of disgust towards the Blondie. "Oh, it's just you."

"Yeah, it's me," she replied, walking up to him, "your little cure didn't work."

He scoffed, "What are you talking about? Of course it worked! He's talking, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but if I'm correct, an infected individual has more than one strand of infection. So, you cured his speech. That's it."

The scientist huffed, "You know nothing about science and genetics, young one."

"Young, my ass," Victoria growled under her breath.

"Umm, Dr. Spears?" the female who took some of Nick's blood called him.

Spears sighed, "What is it, Maka?"

Maka pointed to her computer screen and stated, "The army dog is right; he isn't cured. It's been reduced, yes, but the virus is not fully cured."

Spears turned pale, while Victoria smiled with pride and intelligence. As soon as he turned back around, her smile vanished, as if she didn't have it at all. "Don't you have a job to do?"

"Right," she replied. "Come on, Nick. Let's let the brainiacs work. Oh, wait. Before we go, what will happen to his two buds in the meantime?"

"With Nick on the field, they will be tested on and hopefully cured by the time he gets back. Now, go. We've very busy," Spears stated as he rushed around the lab for information about combining antidotes to cure all of the strands.

She nodded as she led Nick out of the lab and into the hallway of the hospital, "Hope that was a satisfying answer."

"I wish. Pleo is right: that's no way to live," he stated sadly.

She shrugged, "Shit happens, but at least it'll be temporary." Then under her breath, she added, "I hope."

Ellis called out over some loud music from his room, "Hey, is anyone going into the shower?"

"Yeah," Sheila replied, but sadly for her, he didn't hear her answer. She walked into the shower room and began to undress. Throwing her sweaty, dirty clothes into a nearby hamper, she turned the hot knob in the tub and wait for a few seconds for the water to warm up. Splashing her fingers against the running water, she climbed in and closed the curtain behind her.

Sadly, she cursed, "Shit. I forgot to get a towel." Quickly climbing out, she ran to the other side of the room, hidden in an alcove was the towel storage. Ellis walked into the shower room and smiled at the running water, "Aww. Someone is bein' too kind." Stripping his body of all articles of clothing, he climbed into the shower, letting the water run down his muddy body, washing all the grime away. Running his fingers through his greasy hair, he sighed happily, "Just what the doctor ordered." He covered his hands in soap suds and ran them up his taut torso, while the warm shower washed the suds away.

Sheila came back with a red towel on her arm. "Now where was I?" she sighed softly to herself. Placing the towel on a nearby pole, she climbed back into the shower and screamed when she saw the naked redneck. "ELLIS!"

As Victoria and Nick walked to the barracks, Ellis bolted out of the shower room, shouting, "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" running down the hall into his room, still naked. Both of the witnesses stopped and stared as their minds tried to process the events just seconds ago.

"Please tell me what I just saw," Nick told her.

Victoria replied, "A streaking redneck?"

"Good girl. I'm not going crazy," he quipped.

"I will never see a naked man again," she whimpered, "That image will burn in my mind for a very long time."

Nick nodded, "Me too."

Coach walked out and asked, "What in the hell just happened?"

Victoria quipped, "A robbing of innocence?"

"Nice try, Vic," he laughed. He saw Nick and smiled, "How are you feelin'?"

"Much better now that I can talk and everyone can understand me again," Nick smiled.

Coach beamed, "I'll say!" Slapping a firm hand on his shoulder, he stated, "Welcome back, Nick!"

"Thanks, Coach."

"Alright, you maggots!" Sarge barked at his team of zombie slayers, "Do you know where we'll strike next?"

Francis raised his hand and asked, "The nearest Dunkin' Donuts?"

Sarge barked into his face, "Don't be an ass! Drop and give me 50!"

"Damn," he huffed as he dropped to the ground and began his 50 push-ups.

"Any other smartass remarks?" When no one spoke up, Sarge continued, "We'll be splitting up the team into two squadrons. Rowker, Spyri, Buckers, Lucason, and Calloway, you are Team 1. Carlyle, Anderson, Keelman, Leland, and Hutchinson, you are Team 2."

"Sir!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Good, Team 1 is going to Georgia. Team 2 is going to Pennsylvania."

Team 1's members grew pale all of a sudden. Ro asked, "Anywhere specific, sir?"

"Outside a town called…Rayford."

Their pale faces grew pasty white. They knew what was ahead of them.

Louis asked, "Who are our addiction members, sir?"

As if on cue, Dwayne and Jock walked in. They saluted the Sarge, who saluted back at them. "That would be us, Louis," Dwayne smiled.

"Well, welcome aboard, you two!" Zoey responded.

"Thanks. Let's go suit up and arm up. We have zombies to kill," Jock smirked evilly.

Victoria walked the slayers to the vault, where their weapons were being kept. "Dwayne, if you would, please?" she stepped aside.

He smiled as he walked in front of the vault door and began entering a combination. However, nothing happened. Baffled, he put the same combination in a second time; still, no response. He scratched his head and asked, "Did someone change the code?"

"I doubt it, Dwayne," Jock replied, "If someone did, a beeping noise would sound."

Victoria noticed something about the door. Taking the cold handle into her hand, she tugged and the door swung open. "Someone's in there."

"A zombie?" Ellis asked.

Sheila stated, "Zombies are too stupid to open vault doors."

Victoria sighed, "I have a hunch on who it is." She walked in and shouted, "MILES!"

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed guy in an army uniform jumped, nearly flinging a Magnum into the air. Catching his breath, he confronted the voice and beamed, "Hey, Vic!" Placing the Magnum on the table, he walked over to his blonde conrad and gave her a hug. She hugged him back, followed by a small hit to the head. He yelped, "Ow! Why did you do that?"

"Because I could, brother," she quipped.

He fake-pouted, but quickly got serious when he saw the group outside the door. "I take it you guys are getting ready to shoot some zombies."

"That's their plan," Victoria smiled. "Now, why are you in here?"

"Vic, it's a vault full of guns. 'Nuff said," he smiled.

She shrugged and helped Miles hand out the right weapons to the right people. She picked up the acid patterned AK-47 and smiled to Dwayne, I know for a fact this is yours."

He smiled, taking the AK into his hands, "Yep. Thanks."

Nick took his M16 and slung it onto his back. He heard Ellis tell Alex, "Hey, bro! We had to drive Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s car to Whisperin' Oaks!"

"That's awesome!" the younger hick shouted excitedly, "Will it still be there?"

"I hope so! I hope the zombies didn't trash it. I love that car," Ellis stated as he gathered up his weapons.

Ro asked Sheila, "Before we met up with you and Chris, how did you two fare?"

"We were the perfect tag team. At first, I was alone in Georgia and got attacked by a witch, because I thought she was hurt. Chris comes out of nowhere and fills her head full of lead with her Magnum. She never left me. I knew she changed dramatically, but despite her cold attitude, she never left me for dead. She was the one who find my first sniper rifle. I was so lucky to have her as my best friend and savior. After a couple of days after the witch attack, we pressed on, destroying every zombie in our paths." Her eyes began to water a little, "I miss her so much…"

Ro hugged her for comfort, "We miss her too, Sheila."

Everyone nodded in agreement, excluding Dwayne, Jock, Victoria, and Miles. All they could do was give a moment of silence in respect for a brave slayer.

Coach cleared his throat and stated, "Come on, people. Let's get a move on."

"That's right," Nick added, "We've got shit to shoot."

As Alex brought the helicopter onto a smooth landing, he killed the engine and propellers. "Ok, guys. Let's make this run quick. The last thing we need is our ride destroyed."

"No, we don't want that," Nick retorted.

Coach sighed, "Keep it together, Nick."

"Sorry, Coach," he sighed as he loaded his M16, ready to fight. Everyone else followed his example and exited the chopper, seeing a couple zombies rushing towards them. Within seconds, lead and blood filled the stale air as the slayers stood and fought through way back onto the deserted highway.

Sheila giggled a bit and spoke, "It feels like only yesterday since we met up. It's so fresh."

Ro quipped, "'Fresh' would be the understated word of the day, Sheila. However, I do see what you mean."

The team hopped over some big traffic cinder blocks, and Ellis beamed, "Jimmy Gibbs Jr.! It's still here~" The obsessed redneck ran up to the hood of the car and embraced it, snuggling his face to it.

Sheila quipped, "That's a real man; chooses a car over a woman."

Ellis heard her comment and quickly looked up and stammered, "Oh come on, Sheila. You don't mean that…did ya?"

She smiled teasingly, "Maybe."

Alex swooned over the car as well, "What a sexy piece of machinery! A work of art! So beautiful!" He followed his brother's example and embraced the driver's side. Coach and Nick both sighed and face-palmed at their behavior.

"If the laws of nature would allow it, I'd bear Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s children," Ellis stated, almost a little too proudly.

Sheila's eyes darted back and forth awkwardly, "Good to know, Ellis."

"You think you know a guy, huh?" Ro teased a bit.

"I know right," Sheila giggled. Taking a Molotov cocktail from the ground and strapping it to her bandolier, she stated, "Hey, Ellis. Come back to reality so we can blast a few zombies, ok?"

"I'm here, darlin'," he chirped happily, reloading his sniper with a fresh clip of ammo. "I'm ready when ya are."

Coach nodded as he led the team, with Nick next to him, feeling tenser and tenser with every step forward. He sensed the former con artist's tension, so he nudged him with the butt of his SPAS, "Nick, you get any tenser, you'll pop like a balloon."

He exhaled sharply, trying to relax, but he couldn't. The team trended further down the road, the road that took them to the bloody and vacant Motel 6. The first time he was ever upstaged by a woman has never been so bittersweet to him: _"Run!" Without thinking twice, they took cover into an abandoned room. The bomb exploded, sending zombies and body parts flying. Blood rained on her, as well as guts and goo._

His first conversation could have gone better, but he was very unsure of Chris at that time: _"Word of advice: Never bite a Smoker's tongue! That was disgusting!" _

"_None of us are that stupid to do that!" _

_She looked up at him and snarled, "You do know I could have left you for dead, con man!"_

Sweat covered his palms as his grip tightened around his M16, not wanting to venture any further. Nick prayed for anything: a horde, a suicidal rain storm, a Tank…no two Tanks! He prayed for anything to stop his team's advance. The last thing he wanted to do was gaze upon the place where he met the one woman he wanted for eternity.

Nothing came to hinder them. A stray zombie or two, but the area seemed deserted of all life forms…and undead forms. Climbing up a small hill, they approached the rundown motel, much to Nick's dismay. Images and memories with Chris flooded his mind.

_She retorted, "Is that a good idea?" Nick turned his head towards the woman and retorted to her, "Do you go by 'bitch' or 'show offy bitch'?"_

"_Nick!" He looked up uninterested and lazily and asked, "What?" "I bet you five bucks that we have to share a water bottle." He scoffed at her and replied, "I'll take that bet."_

"_You're a con artist?" She rubbed her nails against her shirt with pride, "Yeah." Then he snapped, "Then why were you so quick to judge me about it?" Chris stood up and spat out the door to remove any water that was in Nick's mouth and any taste of the Smoker's tongue that still lingered on her taste buds. She answered his question, "You have the look. I don't. I'm an innocent face, giving me the surprise." He scoffed, "Innocent my ass!"_

"_Don't play stupid! We know you like her!" Nick was too quick to defend himself, "No I don't!" However, his face began to grow red._

_Nick touched her shoulder. "Wake up, Chris!" Since her dream self was in pounce mode, her reflexes caused her to spring and pin her "attacker" down. Nick yelped as Chris pinned him to the ground. Her nails sank into the shoulders of his white jacket. It took her a good two seconds to realize that she's awake…and completely oblivious that she pounced Nick and lying on top of him. "It was just a dream. Oh thank God!" Still unaware of her pounced victim, she buried her face below. Instead of a hardwood floor, it was blue, soft, and muscular. If she didn't realize she was on Nick, the clearing of his throat in embarrassment gave it all away._

His heart hammered hard against his sternum, making his whole chest hurt. The way his mind filled his eyes with memories, it also filled them with tears. Slowly walking into the parking lot of the motel, he saw the spot where he and Ellis fought desperately for their lives. He blinked, letting a few tears run down his bloody cheeks. "How many times must she save my life?" he wondered to himself.

Sheila sighed sadly, not wanting to be there either. She was on Nick's side this time. Her best friend, sister and mother figure gave her life to save everyone on the team. "Nick…I must tell you something…" she sniffled a bit.

The ex-con man looked up, "What, Sheila?"

"She loved you, Nick. Chris loved you," she stated, her voice beginning to shake.

Ellis walked over to the city girl and wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her as much as possible. Holding her close, he gently rubbed her back, tilting his cap fin up, and softly nuzzling his nose into her hair. Sheila closed her eyes and clung to the redneck, tears freely escaping her eyes.

"I-I loved her, too," Nick choked, pulling out the blue fire-print bandana from one of his cargo pockets. He brought it close to his face, gently inhaling whatever scent it carried that reminded him of Chris. Coach and Ro watched their friend burst out into soft sobbing.

Yelling to the heavens, Nick threw his M16 into the air over his head, "Why? Why did you take her away from me?"

His answer was a horde rushing from every corner of the freeway and motel. The group quickly formed a circle, backs against each other's and readied themselves for the vicious flesh addicts charging their way. Coach unleashed his almighty M60 on the undead crowd, the rapid fire lead ripping through their bodies like tissue paper. Ellis was fortunate enough to find a chainsaw nearby. Pulling the ripcord, the deadly machine revved to life, its blade teeth at the ready to gore out some carnage out of the zombies.

Within minutes, the blood fest was over. Zombie parts were everywhere, while everyone was covered in blood. Despite the gory scene, their eyes were full of fire. The soldiers had something to fight for.

Rochelle wanted to destroy these monsters for her younger sister.

Coach had to protect his wife and infant son.

Ellis and Alex fought for vengeance. Their mother was one of the many victims to these undead flesh-addicts.

Sheila and Nick were fighting for the same reason: revenge Chris' death.

Taking her bandana, Nick wrapped it over his right palm and tied it tightly. "For Chris, I'll destroy every zombie in this goddamn world!" Looking past the Motel 6 was the familiar lights of Whisperin' Oaks. With a deep sigh, Nick turned to his team and ushered them to follow the vengeance-driven con man. They nodded and Nick led the march away from the bloody motel. "Whisperin' Oaks, here we come."

Little did they know, the band of humans (and infected Nick) were being watched. His pale blue eyes widened as they scanned Sheila. "Just like her mother…"

He looked at Nick and gasped softly to himself. "Chris needs to know about this!" Getting a running start, Spectre ran across the rooftop and vanished into his smoke cloud, hoping he will tell Chris of the discovery he has found.

**Maka:** It's about time!

**Spears:** Tell me about it. We finally get some screen time.

**Maka:** Not that. Our creator finally finished this chapter!

**Spears:** Oh…that too.

**Maka:** As an apology, she won't force you guys the traditional '5 reviews' rule for this chapter.

**Spears:** Good. I do have a question: why is my last name 'Spears'?

**Maka:** The same reason my name is Maka. Anime on the brain, I'm afraid.

**Spears:** If you can guess from which animes our names come from, you get a…a cookie? Who wrote this?

**Maka:** Oh! Spectre belongs to Awkward Headshot!

**Spears:** Also, he and our creator make a cameo appearance.

**Maka:** Spears, I think people know that.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 12: Blasts from the Past**_

Nick. My Nick. He's approaching this very area? Spectre must be lying, but I knew by the look on his face, he wasn't. My head suddenly felt light. I felt my world spinning out of control, even though I wasn't moving.

Even Lazerlemon was surprised about this news. "Nick. As in Nick Rowker? The con man?"

Spectre nodded without saying a word.

Chloe asked, "What now?"

"Run?"

"Fight?"

I looked down at my feet, panting from the shock. Finally, swallowing down my fear and shock, I looked up and stated, "Neither."

Everyone turned towards me, surprised that I actually had an idea to tackle this conflict. Even Spectre was surprised. "Neither?"

"Right," I looked up with the fire for determination in my eyes, "No fighting. No running."

Sir Rambo retorted, "Then what?"

"Disarm. We'll disarm them."

Sir Rambo sighed and barked, "Right! How will we do that? Wait, why should we do that anyway? They're survivors!"

His words stirred tensions among the group. He does have a point. As Special Infected, we attack and kill humans without a second thought. Now, we've suddenly going to go easy on them by disarming? Sir Rambo was obviously against me. No surprise there.

"You're fucking crazy!" the Charger hissed as his tiny, floppy arm slapped my left shoulder.

I nonchalantly stated, "So? It's kept me alive so far."

"Your stupid feelings for your group will destroy us all! Scar won't allow it!"

I snarled back, "Well, Scar's not here!"

The fuming Charger threw a lethal look in Spectre's direction, "All because of him."

"Hey! Scar attacked first, Rambo!" I defended my friend.

"Most likely for a good reason!"

"More like a stupid reason," I hissed.

Sir Rambo yelled, "Betrayer! How dare you back-stab our fearless leader with your traitorous words?"

"I speak the truth! Even Scar admitted his actions were based on rage and over-protectiveness," I explained not only Sir Rambo, but to the whole group. Obviously, I wasn't going to say what sparked the fight in the first place. That alone will be suicide!

Spectre smiled at me for defending him. "Thank you, Chris."

"No problem…Vincent," I smiled and nodded. I finally came to terms with his actions and they will no longer be part of what I see him as. But the fact I addressed him as his real name actually spooks me. Is it possible that I've gained more than just respect and friendship from the Marine?

Sir Rambo finally blew up in rage. With an almighty (and very loud) trumpet, he charged square into my torso, carrying me into a chain link fence, breaking it with my back. Chloe, Abby, and Lazerlemon gasped in fear for me, while Salt Lick, Detour, and Booms just flinched from their comrade's charge.

Only Spectre had the balls to do something.

Suddenly appearing next to Charger, who finally began to pulverize me into the asphalt, he snarled as he punched his huge arm at the elbow hard, shattering the joint. Sir Rambo howled in pain as his arm let me go. Spectre wasn't finished with him; using his long Witch claws, he slashed Sir Rambo's face and upper torso. The now broken-armed Charger tried to fight back against the chimera, but it was fruitless. Spectre was too strong and fast for him.

Once he was on his knees and crashing into a small pool of his own blood, Sir Rambo wheezed, "Scar will have your head for this! Both of you!"

Spectre only snorted in response.

I scrambled to my feet and shook in utter pain. "I haven't been charged in awhile." I can still remember back at Ducatel when I reached for the saferoom and got charged down the stairs. Ellis saved my ass on that attack. I gritted my teeth in agony, but remained strong. Hell, if I could be charged as a human, I can take it as an Alpha Hunter!

Spectre frowned, "Are you ok, Chris?" He gently led me to the nearest park bench and let me sit down. He sat right beside me and wrapped his legs around my own tightly.

I yelped at my sudden lack of mobility and barked, "I'm fine! I don't need your help, Spectre! My injuries will regenerate in a couple seconds."

He was taken back from my tone, but he quickly dismissed it, knowing I was wounded and fearful, so I snapped to defend myself. He noticed my breathing was a bit labored. Gently placing his bloody claws on my sides, I winced and growled in pain, "What are you doing, Spectre!"

He ushered me a sharp look, "You're in no position to snap at me, Chris. And besides, what happened to 'Vincent?'" He knew I wasn't going to answer him, so he went to work. Gently running his claw down my side, he clicked his tongue and sighed, "That's what I thought: broken ribs."

"Don't worry about me."

"Chris, guess what?" he smiled a bit.

"What?" I sighed.

"You're my everything," he admitted. "Sorry about this."

With a quick press, my ribs were snapped back into their rightful places, allowing regeneration to heal them much faster. I howled loudly at the moon in agony.

Sadly, that howl alerted the advancing team of survivors.

Ellis gasped as the team stopped to listen. "Guys, somethin' tells me we have a challenge on our hands."

"So be it," Nick growled, reloading his primary weapon, rage and love flashing in his eyes.

"Now, Nick, don't do anything brash or you'll end up killed too!" Coach barked at the angry con man.

Nick snapped, "Shut up! She's alive!"

Everyone gasped softly to themselves. Sheila was the first one to speak, "How do you know, Nick?"

"According to Christophe, this is Scar's territory. Who that is, I have no idea. It's possible that she's still alive!"

I grumbled a nice string of curses under my breath towards the chimera, while it took me a second or two to realize what I just did. I howled. A Hunter's howl is almost like a lion's roar; it can be heard for miles. "Oh, shit! Not good!"

Spectre, on the other hand, wasn't worried or alert in the least. In fact, as soon as he stood up, the chimera smiled and hugged me for a few brief seconds.

I sat in shock, blushing under my hood from the quick embrace. What an odd moment. Survivors are approaching and he just decides to hug me as if nothing was happening. "Ummm…why did you hug me?"

"Because I wanted to…," he began to mutter almost sheepishly, "…and I kinda want to do somethin' else too."

I was almost scared to reply. "Something…else?" Thanks, gutter mind! Now's not the time for this!

He leaned down, blushing furiously, and gave a small peck on the lips.

My eyes widened in shock as my breath escaped from my throat. My face was as red as a cop's siren light from the very brief kiss. Before I could even recuperate from the shock, he pulled my body against his and kissed me again, without pulling away.

The other Special Infected watched with mixed emotions. Chloe thought it was sweetest thing in the world. Since she was the closest one to Lazerlemon, she embraced him with joy, causing the poor pup to yelp and feel awkward.

Salt Lick and Detour shared a glare that screamed, "This won't go over well with Scar. But I won't tell if you don't."

Abby smiled sweetly at the picture and went, "Aww~"

Booms nearly exploded with rage, but he remained silent. He always got the impression that Scar was in love with me. A romantic love, not a brotherly, protective love. Seeing this chimera step in on me and kiss me as if I was his, made the die-hard loyal Boomer mad.

And obviously, Nathan was a bit grossed out. He was at that age where he didn't like girls too much yet.

Sir Rambo only growled at us, silently cursing a plague upon both our houses. Oh, he would give up his charging arm for Spectre's gory death.

As odd as it seemed, I don't pull away from him when his lips connected with mine again. In fact, I slowly began to kiss him back! I felt his claw gently remove my hood, revealing my dirty, scarred face for all to see. Since it's been awhile that my eyes even seen direct light, the nearest lamp posts made my eyelids squint a bit. However, I didn't care; my body melted in the odd bliss from his kiss.

"I'm so glad she hasn't killed me…yet," the chimera thought as he gently pulled away, smiling romantically. He looked down at me with his clear-blue eyes and whispered, "We have work to do."

His statement caught me off guard and so did the end of the kiss. However, I cleared my throat and shoved all lustful, impure, and dirty thoughts out of my head. "Yeah. Right. We need a plan to disarm."

Nathan suddenly beamed, "What about a flash bang? They blind the enemy, but don't kill them."

"Damn, why didn't I think of that?" Spectre quipped. "Hmm. I need a pair of pliers and two lighters."

"Or," Lazerlemon stated, "We can take the flash bangs off the dead soldiers we killed a couple days ago."

"These kids have no respect for their superiors anymore," the chimera grumbled. I only chuckled at him and nodded to the two Hunters to obtain them.

The two came back with their arms full of flash bangs. Chloe was shocked, "How many is that?"

Lazerlemon shrugged, "I don't know."

"About twenty five," Nathan stated as they carelessly dumped them into a pile in front of us.

When it came to explosives, I always got edgy. "Watch it! Be gentle with those!"

Spectre chuckled amusingly as he softly grabbed my shoulder, "Relax, Chris. They're stable enough to not explode on impact with anything solid. The pin needs to be pulled first." However, there have been a few duds or premature flashes, but hell; he wasn't going to tell me that!

I growled softly as I gently touched his claw with my own and stated to the former Lieutenant, "Where's the best set up for an ambush, Lt. Overbeck?"

He smiled at me a bit as he pointed to the entrance to the trailer of a safe room. "There. Right before we enter. As a survivor, that's when your guard is down when seeing those red iron barred doors, right?"

I nodded, "Indeed."

He looked down and picked up only three. Turning back to Lazerlemon and Nathan, he stated, "Guys, twenty five flash bangs are overkill. Hide the rest of them.

"Got it," Nathan rolled his eyes.

Lazerlemon nodded his head, "Ok, Spectre."

I commanded everyone while Spectre set up the trap, "Guys! I'm going to need everyone's help on this! Hide! Fan out into the surrounding area and don't attack to disarm without my go! Got it!"

Salt Lick and Abby nodded as they took to the top of the tents. As soon as Salt Lick coughed, I gritted my sharp teeth and added, "Also, be as quiet as possible!"

The Smoker gave me the thumbs up as a signal that he heard me.

"Chloe, I don't want to put you in harm's way, but…"

"Chris, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it," she smiled. I swear, she's the only Witch who likes me. Every other Witch wants me dead.

"…I need you to become the survivor's detour."

"Yes?" Detour perked up when he heard his name, poking his head from the shooting gallery game.

I facepalmed, "Not you, Detour. A detour. An alternative route."

The Jockey nodded, "Oh! Ok." With a giggle, he crouched back down into his hiding spot.

Chloe only nodded, "Of course! I don't mind. And if your human friends have any brains at all in their skulls, they'll avoid me, taking the route into the trap."

"Ok. I just don't want you killed," I frowned.

She giggled and quipped, "How was that kiss, huh?"

My face lit up as I quickly placed my hood back on, "None of your fuckin' business!"

"You liked it~!"

"Did not!"

"You were practically begging for more!"

"What gave you that idea!"

"Your body and how it went slack as he pulled you into him!" She stopped to squeal before continuing, "And you're turning as red as blood! Look at yourself!"

I looked down and snapped, "Stop it!"

Spectre smirked as he eavesdropped on the conversation, putting the final touches on the trap. His lips still tingled from the kiss and even his own body went slack a bit from his gutsy move. The way he saw it, everyone could die…tonight. If that was the case, he was going to die without any regrets. Maybe…just one: not telling Sheila who he was.

"Just go do what you're told and detour the survivors into the trap."

The Witch nodded, "Of course. Remember, I'll be teasing you about this later~!"

"I can hardly wait," I rolled my eyes as the Witch walked into her spot, sat down and began to sob, normally what a real Witch would do.

All remaining Infected, such as Lazerlemon, Nathan, and Booms are short-range fighters, so they hid somewhere safe, but close when I give the signal.

Sir Rambo was left out in the open, still in massive pain and outrage. As soon as I heard Spectre call to me, "Hey, Chris! It's all set now!", I walked over to the severely injured Charger and asked, "Want to be put out of your misery?"

He just glared at me and snarled, "Why should you even consider mercy redemption, traitor?"

"I'm doing this out of the good of my heart!" I growled, taking my seldom used Magnum from its holster and loaded it. "I'll ask again. Do you want to be put out of your misery?"

"Go to Hell, bitch! And I hope your chimera boyfriend follows you there!" he spat blood on my worn-out sneaker.

"I'll see you there then," I lowly stated as I aimed the barrel right for his head and fired.

The shot was so sudden and so close that every Special Infected who was hidden emerged from their spots to see what happened. When they saw Sir Rambo's blown up skull and me holding a smoking Magnum in my hand, they knew very quickly what just happened. Little did I know, friendly fire was my lethal mistake.

Normally, I'd do a very cheesy cowboy move by blowing the smoking barrel of my pistol, but the fact that I killed my own teammate was enough to kill my humorous tone. Spectre quietly came up behind me and gently pulled the Magnum out of my grip. "Chris?"

My head turned sideways to him, but didn't say a word.

Gently grabbing my shoulders, he guided me back towards the safe room and snarled at the bystanders, "Back to your places! Now!"

Scar's loyal die-hards (Salt Lick, Nathan, and Booms) growled, but obeyed regardless. Abby, Lazerlemon, and Detour only had a moment of silence for their dead comrade and for the last shred of my sanity.

My mind was out of its Twilight Zone moment, so it startled Spectre when I snatched my Magnum back. Sliding it back into my holster, I took a deep breath and pretended nothing happened. "Come on. They should be—"

Suddenly, shotgun fire erupted through the air, making me stop cold for a second, fearing the worst.

"Got her, guys," Ellis smiled as he looked down at the witch he just crowned. Her body lay in a growing pool of her own blood, her denim shirts and tank top stained red. Her head was blown apart , figments of her brain completely blasted away. The exposed cranium was smoking from the shotgun blast. Her yellow glowing eyes were now dull, soft, and lifeless. "Ding dong, the Witch is dead," the redneck quipped a bit.

"Not funny, Ellis," Ro stated, not really in the mood for his jokes.

As the group got out of the forest, they saw the entrance. "Hey! Look! The safe room!" Sheila pointed at it.

Spectre smirked as he turned to Lazerlemon and gave him the string that activated the trap. "Will you do the honors?"

The young Hunter took the string into his claws and smiled at the chimera, "Thanks." Then back at the survivors, he gently sang to himself, "Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need."

Yank! The five pins pulled out of their respected flash bangs. Everything went into a slow motion mode as soon as the survivors stepped forward and the bangs went off.

Everything…everyone…was white.

"Holy shit!"

"What the hell?"

"Since when did zombies use flash bangs?"

I stood up and rushed into the light, "NOW! GO!"

Every Infected that was hiding sprang into action upon my command. Lazerlemon and I rushed out to confuse them by spiraling around them like sharks, growling to arouse fear inside the humans.

Salt Lick used his tongue to grab Coach's M60 and yank it out of his hands. "Hey!" As soon as he got his SPAS equipped, Lazerlemon came out of nowhere and struck it with his claw. It may have caused Coach to drop it, it did break a couple of his claws, thanks to hitting hard metal. He whimpered and despite his injury, he continued to circle around and distract them.

Ellis barked, "Since when are zombies organized?"

"I don't remember this in the training!" Alex shouted back.

Nick snarled, "Don't let this scare you! Press on!"

"Press on where? We can't see anything, Nick!" Ro hissed. She gasped as acid splashed onto her combat rifle, causing her to drop it as the acid eroded through the metal as it was paper and fire. She tried to reach for her Magnum, but I quickly unsheathed mine and blasted it out of her hands. She yelped, "They're gun-toting zombies!"

Sheila panicked, "They're what?" Using whatever energy and courage she had left, she rushed out of the immediate blast zone and got jumped by Detour. Laughing manically, the Jockey rode her shoulders into the nearest tent, while she screamed for help, "JOCKEY JOCKEY!"

Ellis rushed out blindly and got caught by Salt Lick's tongue. The Smoker knew not to hurt him, but still, he can be as sadistic and cruel, so he began to reel the redneck in and then slacking a bit to see if Ellis will run forward to escape. On his instinct to run from danger, Ellis fell right into Slat Lick's trap; he tripped forward and fell to the ground, being dragged on the ground as Salt Lick chuckled, reeling his tongue back in.

Detour made her trip and fall into a pile of rubble. She screamed in pain as a nail stuck her in the side. "Sorry. Stay here, girly and don't do anything stupid." With a giggle, he took her weapons and ran off with them. However, she didn't care about her weapons; she was in too much stinging pain from the small impalement.

The jockey brought the weapons to Booms and ordered, "Watch them. If you must, puke on them so the commons will tear the guns apart."

"Gotcha," the fat zombie belched as he waddled in front of the guns, while Detour went to collect the weapons that were destroyed by Abby's acid.

Rochelle tried to find the Spitter, but sadly fell onto her ass by me accidentally head butting her in mid-pounce. I yelped as she spiraled away from the remaining boys. Abby smirked as she rushed in and grabbed Ro's arm. The black woman stared at the acid-riddled zombie with unrivaled fear, wondering what she'll do to her.

At this point, the flash bang's effects were starting to wear off, making the remaining survivors regain their eyesight. Coach gasped, "Holy shit!"

I snarled at Lazerlemon, Nathan, "Pounce! Now!"

Nick's ears perked suddenly at my voice. "It…it can't be…"

Nathan snarled as he pounced Coach off his feet. Despite Coach's…err…'big' body frame, he wasn't able to wrestle the teenage Hunter off of him.

Lazerlemon pounced Alex, who yelped and got the wind knocked out of his lungs. The young Hunter was more than happy to see the redneck who found him, but he also knew he has grown up and it's the cute little yellow puff ball he once was. Alex looked up at the Hunter, terrified and flinched, preparing to get his whole torso ripped up to the bone.

My mind entered slow motion again, as I slowly changed my running direction towards Nick. My whole body into autopilot as my hind legs bent backwards and launched me forward towards the con artist. Nick's eyes widen in fear, his Assault Rifle swinging from his side. Just mere seconds from impact, he aimed and pulled the trigger.

Gunfire startled every being the area.

**Me:** Cliffhanger!

**Bill:** Wow, how sadistic of you.

**Me:** Yep!

**Bill:** The next chapter will be good, right?

**Me:** Damn right!

**Bill:** Will your readers get pissed off if you wait too long?

**Me:** Heh…most likely…Oh! Before I forget, I'd like to congratulate Ravlia for guessing the names of Maka and Spears correctly, anime-reference wise. Maka is from Soul Eater (my third anime ever) and Spears is from Black Butler (my most obsessive anime right now!~)

**Bill:** Anything else?

**Me:** YES! Take that damn poll! If you haven't voted yet, do it! Please decide who Chris chooses by the end of the story!

**Bill:** My son will be very unhappy if it isn't him.

**Me:** I know. Spectre/Vincent doesn't belong to me. Awkward Headshot (formally known as A little help here) is his real owner.

_In loving memory of :__ Sir Rambo the Charger_ (human name: TBA)


	13. Chapter 13

_**Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 13: Together Again**_

"CHRIS!"

"NICK!"

Our names rung out by our teammates.

Everyone stopped to see Nick on the ground with me directly on top of him. The Special Infected stopped everything they were doing to look at my motionless body. Lazerlemon almost began to cry, "Please…please, get up…"

The humans didn't do anything to move or escape. They, too, were too shocked and concerned for their teammate to even think about their own welfare. They just watched, hoping to see movement from the pile.

Finally, someone moved, followed by a soft groan.

It was Nick.

The con man grunted as he struggled to shove my body off of him. I rolled face first into the dirt, while Nick panted heavily. As he sat up, he rubbed his chest softly, "Ow…that hooded bastard put the hurt on me. My rifle went right into my chest."

He turned over to see the body of said Hunter and sighed. His eyes widened when I began to move, "Your aim got lousy." I began to get up, but my left arm screamed in agony, forcing me back down. "But, to be fair, you did hit your target." I looked over at the con artist and gave a loving smile, "Hey there, Nick Rowker."

He gasped, his paling green eyes wide as he just stared at me. "Christina Starly."

**Sorry for this chapter for being so small, but I felt really bad for leaving my readers with a cliffhanger. Don't kill me. Vote!**


	14. Chapter 14

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 14: And Then There Was Jealousy**_

We just stared at each other for a long moment. Nick. My Nick. He's back in this hell after I gave my human life to get him and the others out of it. I ought to smack him for that. As my paling hazel eyes scanned him underneath my hood, I've noticed something…different about him. He seemed paler and a bit scruffier. Also, he didn't smell the same as before. Sure, he's wearing his Axe, but he didn't smell…human.

It hit me like Sir Rambo charging into my chest: he's been infected.

Apparently, he also got the shock I did because we were in sync with each other in the following conversation:

"What the hell did you do to yourself? What happened? Who infected you! Stop copying me! Oh, shut the fuck up and hug me, you fool!"

We launched ourselves into each other's arms, embracing the other tightly. I've never thought I'd see Nick again. Well, maybe when I died and went to Hell, I would. However, now he's back in my arms, while I'm back in his. I just can't believe that he is infected. On that note, he did have the scent of a Common. Oh all types of zombies to bite him; Nick had to be Common bait.

"A Common, Nick? Seriously?" I whimpered into his shoulder.

He muttered, "Don't ruin this moment."

I chuckled as I snuggled into his shoulder. Lazerlemon looked up and stood, allowing Alex to slide away. The young Hunter beamed, "Nick!"

Nick was a bit startled when such a young, but masculine voice called his name. When I gently pulled away, Lazerlemon took my place, embracing the con man. Nick stiffened. "Umm…hey…"

"It's me, Lazerlemon!" he chirped.

Nick blinked and then did a double take, "No way. You can't be the obnoxious little puffball we found in Witchville."

"You better believe it, Nick!" the blonde Hunter beamed, showing off his sharp teeth.

"But how?"

"Oh come on! You think I'll be a puffball forever? Typical jackass Nick."

Nick turned to me and muttered, "You make a great mother figure…"

"Oh piss off."

Alex stood up and asked Nick, "What did it say?"

Lazerlemon frowned and turned to me, "He can't hear me?"

"No, they can't. Only those who have been infected can do so. Or in my case, when I was a human, the scratch Scar gave me enabled me to hear only half of their conversations."

"So…Alex and the rest can't hear us?"

Coach pulled out a small vial from his belt and watched over to me. Pulling my hood down, Coach stated quickly, "I hope this won't kill you."

"Wait, wh-" As soon as Coach injected the needle into my jugular vein, I yelped and dropped to the ground.

Lazerlemon yelped and yelled in panic, "Chris!"

Everyone else looked up and surrounded the survivors. The humans got a bit edgy, causing Coach to whimper, "Hey, hey, hey. She's not dead, fellas. At least…I hope not."

"Coach! For fucks sake! That hurt!" I grumbled into the gravel.

The zombie slayers lit up; they could understand me now. Sheila burst into tears, "Chris!"

I looked up and beamed. "Oh Sheila."

She tackled me into the ground and sobbed into my filthy shoulder. I gently embraced her, but she flinched at my touch. I frowned, "Are you ok?"

"Some Jockey got me; I tripped and fell onto a rusty nail."

I gasped and then snarled, "DETOUR!"

All of my teammates looked over at the Jockey in question, who only frowned and whimpered, "What? I didn't mean to do it! That bitch can't even step over a board."

I snarled as I stood up, "Detour, I said disarm! I didn't want anyone to get hurt!"

"Well, sorry!" the Jockey barked back, "A little late for that, Chris! After all, you killed Sir Rambo!"

I sneered at him as I turned back to Sheila's injury. Gently removing her jacket, Ellis took his place beside her. "Let me help, Chris…if you truly are Chris…"

I rolled my eyes, "It's good to see you too, Ellis. Yes, it is me."

"Can ya prove it?"

I smirked as I stood up, walked over to Nick and kissed him firmly on the lips. Nick's paling green eyes widened as large as frag grenades in response to the kiss. The humans went "Awwwwww~~~~~~"

The rest of the zombies (excluding Lazerlemon) were a bit shocked and slightly disgusted by Scar's right hand's actions. Salt Lick shivered, "Chris? Really?"

I pulled away, making Nick whimper to himself for more. "What?" I replied back to the Smoker.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because Ellis needed proof."

Ellis had the biggest smile on his face, giving Nick the thumbs up. "Thanks, Chris. I got it!"

I smiled and turned back to Salt Lick, "You see?"

"Yeah, but you could've done something else!"

"Like what?"

Ro quipped, "In all honesty, that kiss was spot-on for Chris."

"It's about time too!" Alex laughed.

I blushed as I scratched my neck, "Did you guys know that we kissed before?"

Sheila squee'd, "You did? When!"

"When…when we were on the chopper pad," my happy, cheery mood grew a little sorrowful. However, I quickly cleared my throat and perked up, "Hey, it was a small kiss just between me and him. It is just a small, quick one before the chopper took off."

"Aww damn! Why didn't you tell us, Nick/!" Ellis smirked.

Nick barked, "Was I even in the right mood to even mention it, Ellis?"

The redneck blinked and slouched, "Yeah…good point…"

I turned back to Sheila, but I suddenly felt Salt Lick's tongue wrap around my body. The slayers tensened, but I quickly reassured them, "Relax. I've got this."

"We, Special Infected, must talk alone with you, Chris," the Smoker growled as he dragged me away.

I rolled my eyes as the group walked away from the slayers. Once we were away behind the shooting gallery, the smoking zombie finally loosened his tongue around my body and sighed, "We must talk about this, Chris."

"About what?" I asked.

Booms burped, "About your torn loyalty."

My muscles tightened. "Is that so?"

Abby nodded, "Sadly, yes. We all think this 'disarm the survivors' thing was not what we're created for!"

"That's right. We don't disarm; we kill!" Detour cackled.

I sighed heavily and crossed my arms. "So…this is mutiny then."

"Not against Scar. Against you," Salt Lick stated.

Nathan gasped and frowned, "Why?"

"Don't tell us that you side with that traitor?" Booms finally exploded (not literally). "Don't you remember what Scar has done for you, Nate? Save your life? Taught you everything you knew about being a Hunter? Even saved your life against the survivors that killed your sister?"

Nathan was stricken by grief, just remembering his older sister's death. I snarled as I stood in front of the younger Hunter, "Booms, that's enough! I'll go, but for fuck's sake, leave Nathan alone!"

"W-What? Why?" Nathan frowned.

I looked at him and stated softly, "I don't want you to be caught in a crossfire, Nathan. You're a sweet kid, and I don't want you to feel conflicted. Stay with them."

Thanks to his lack of eyes, he sobbed, "But, Chris…"

"Don't. You belong with Scar and the rest of this band. After all, you are going to be Scar's right hand."

Salt Lick, despite the Scar follower that he is, saw that at least I was willing to walk away without a problem. With a sigh, he asked, "If you and your group leave without a fight, we won't attack you, only on the grounds. Once you leave, you're a target again. Deal?"

I nodded as I rose my claw to Salt Lick, "Deal."

He shook my claw and sighed, "You will be missed."

"Come on, guys."

Everyone was confused. Ellis asked, "Hey, what happened with the zombies?"

"I'm no longer part of that group, Ellis. The reason you guys are still alive is because of my strategy. If they had their own way, I'd be talking to myself right now."

Ro shook her head and stated, "You take on way too much to keep us safe, don't ya?"

Sheila nodded as Coach patched up her nail wound by disinfecting it first and then dressing it neatly, "Rochelle, I can tell you from experience that she's always been like that."

"What now, Chris? You have matured into a great leader, so you should make the next move," Coach noted as he tied the linen into a firm knot.

I sighed and scratched my hooded head. I really don't know. "Guys, rule one: on this ground, you will refrain from killing the Special Infected."

Everyone spoke up in protest. Alex freaked, "Are you fuckin' nuts!"

"Let me explain!" I snarled, scaring the humans, including Sheila. Realizing that I snarled, I sighed and rubbed my transparent eyes, "Sorry for scaring you all, but you must understand something. For the past month, that group of zombies has been my salvation, my family. I'm not happy about being voted out, but we are agreeing to this on a new level. You guys think zombies are just mindless killing machines. To a point, yes, you're right. But not all the time. Salt Lick made me a deal that-"

"Who's Salt Lick?" Ellis interrupted.

Lazerlemon answered for me, "He's the Smoker."

"That will set us on neutral and respectful ground. If we leave without a fight, they won't attack us. However," I spun on my heel to face the entire group, "If we come back, they will attack."

"So…if we leave right now, we'll be safe from them?" Ro asked with a raise of her hand.

"Yes, unless we step foot into this ground again."

Alex noted, "You keep mention 'grounds'. What's a safe zone and what's not?"

Coach clarified, "You mean, where the boundaries are?"

"Yeah, exactly!"

I walked over to a Whisperin' Oaks map vendor and grabbed one. Opening it up, it showed the whole amusement and the small packs of land surrounding it, including the Motel Six that made everything come flooding back. Clearing my throat, I ushered everyone to huddle around the map as I explained territories. Nick was dangerously close to me, but I decided to ignore it…for now.

"Ok, guys. Whisperin' Oaks here is the center 'base' if you would. The Motel Six is still in the boundary. The main highway is also part of it. However, Rayford is under…oh shit!" My mind suddenly flashed to Spectre.

"'Oh shit' what?" Sheila asked. Of course, she of everyone in this group to speak up when I'm thinking about her own father!

"Nothing."

She scoffed, "Bullshit."

"I'll explain later. Rayford is safe right now. It's out of Scar's control."

Nick stated, "Christophe did mention Scar. Who is he?"

"He's the Alpha Hunter that has total control over this amusement park, the swamps, Witchville or Ducatel, and the ruins of New Orleans. Rayford and past that is not."

"Wait…you know Rayford?" Nick cocked an eyebrow.

I nodded to him, "Yeah. I had to burn Bill's body."

Everyone blinked and stared at me. "Ok, moving on from this odd topic, should we go there?"

"I don't know. It'll definitely be safer than here, that's for sure," I stated. "But first, I…"

"You what, Chris?" Nick asked with concern.

Lazerlemon beamed, "Yeah! Let's go to Rayford! I've never been to it!"

Alex beamed at Lazerlemon's enthusiasm, "He's still the cute fireball we rescued!"

"With a comprehensive grasp of every swear word in the English language," I quipped.

"Five bucks says that's your fault, Chris," Sheila deadpanned.

I shrugged, "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid. That only shows what a great mother I am."

"You don't say?~" Ro giggled.

Nick blushed a bit at the chain of thoughts that ran through his head. Ellis caught this and smirked, "What'cha thinking, Nick?"

"Nothing!" he yelped in surprise.

Lazerlemon giggled, "Yeah, right Nick~"

"Piss off, you fuzz ball."

"Ha! I'm not a fuzz ball anymore!"

I sighed, "Enough you two. Let's go to Rayford and decide our next move."

Coach asked, "Why the hell did that Spitter destroy our weapons?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, thankfully, we can find random weapons and ammo all over the place. Having no weapon hasn't stopped us before," Alex quipped.

"Thanks for breaking the fourth wall, Alex," Ro stated bluntly.

As we stopped at the closest safe room to gain some weaponry, Nick couldn't stop stealing quick glances at me. I couldn't help but blush a little. The kiss I gave him still lingered on my lips. My heart skipped softly for the con man. But…then something else came up that had my blood stop cold. Spectre.

I sighed loudly and growled to myself, "Where the fuck did he go?"

Sadly, thanks to Nick's enhanced hearing, he heard me. With a quick snap of his head, he repeated, "'He'?"

I gulped, "My partner."

Everyone stopped and looked at Nick, who had a very hurt look on his face. "Y-Your partner?"

"I meant it in a police partnership sort of way!" I quickly corrected.

"You mean Spectre?" Lazerlemon asked.

I gulped and nodded, "Yeah, him."

The Hunter youth smiled and then hummed in thought, "I haven't seen him in the fight. I hope nothing bad happened to him."

"Yeah, me neither," I sighed with concern.

Nick's hurt frown only got bigger. "Why do I have a feeling you really like this guy?"

"Oh relax, Nick! He's too old for me anyway."

"How old?" Sheila asked as she grabbed a sniper rifle.

"Old enough to retire, but not old enough to cough up a lung with every cough." I kinda chuckled at my explanation. It was true. Spectre was 52 years old; old enough to relax on a beach if he wanted to, but knowing him, he'd want me to be resting on that beach with him! However, he's not so old that he must go a nursing home. Hell no. He still kicks some serious ass and doesn't break a sweat.

"I hope he's a friendly," Sheila muttered.

Ellis quipped, "Judging on how Chris is attached to him, he is!"

"Shut up, Ellis!" Nick and I barked in unison.

The older redneck jumped a bit. "Ok, ok, damn. Sorry I mentioned it."

"You better," I growled. Lazerlemon frowned a bit.

As everyone obtained a weapon (I only was armed with my Magnum. I refused to carry anything else.), we trekked into the woods. Oddly enough, the smell of blood was fresh in the air, as if a kill was made minutes ago. Remembering gunshot just moments before the ambush, my eyes widened. "Guys?"

Alex went, "Yeah?"

"Did you shoot anything on the way here?"

Everyone looked at each other and Ellis raised his hand, "Yeah, I did."

My fear and tone only grew, "What did you kill?"

"A witch."

I froze dead in my tracks. "A-A witch?"

Nick and Coach gulped, suddenly realizing the situation on why I'm suddenly so upset. "A friend?" Nick softly stated.

I nodded gently.

Lazerlemon gasped, "Oh, no. Are you taking about…?" He suddenly took off running into the woods. I instantly followed him with equal or even greater speed. I can only pray that it wasn't Chloe that got shot and it was just a random witch. Lazerlemon stopped suddenly and gasped with horror. He just stared at the carnage before him. I walked over to his side and a very painful frown spread across my face. The young Hunter began to cry nonexistent tears from his sockets, "Chloe's…she's dead…"

"I know, Lazerlemon," I sighed as I gently hugged him. He grabbed my hoodie and gently sobbed into it. "It's ok. She's out of this hell hole."

"Yeah," he sniffled, "You're right." He wiped his eye sockets with his dirty sleeve and exhaled sharply, "I wish she didn't have to die."

"Me too. She was a great friend and the only witch that wouldn't kill me." I bent my head and Lazerlemon and I had a moment of silence for her.

A sudden wisk of smoke and a yelp made Lazerlemon and I jump. Hearing a magazine get snapped into place, I gasped as I spun around to see Spectre standing behind me, but Alex had his M16 at the ready, pointing the barrel directly at Spectre. "Alex! Don't!"

He obviously didn't listen. BANG!

Followed by a yelp.

I looked at my shoulder. Pain. Blood. Lead.

"Chris, you know I can take a fuckin' bullet!" Spectre growled, "You didn't have to take it!"

Nick gasped as he bashed Alex over the head with the butt of his rifle, "You asshole!"

"Not my fault," Alex cried.

"It's just a flesh wound, Nick. No need to bash his skull open for it," I stated, trying to defend Alex. He's right; it wasn't his fault that he shot me. It was mine. "Besides, I've been shot before."

Nick heard this and freaked, "You mean, you've been a target?"

"Yeah. Oh, come on, Nick! I'm a fuckin' Hunter now! Of course guns are pointed at me!"

He frowned deeply and looked down.

I sighed and rubbed my temples with my thumb and forefinger. "I'm sorry for snapping, but you must understand that I've been through Hell, killing humans. Even when I was human and a con artist, I never killed anyone. Maim, yes, but never kill." Using my claws, I wedged them into my wound and hissed a bit in pain, plucking the bullet out. "Ouch. It'll heal in a few seconds."

Sheila blinked, "Heal?"

I nodded, "Come on. Of all the times I've been shot, if it wasn't for Scar's Alpha blood, I'd be dead by now. That's why he was so hard to kill." As if on cue, my bullet wound slowly sealed up as if it never happened. This ability startled the survivors, but also amazed them. "There," I smiled.

Alex flipped out happily, "That's awesome!"

"Hell, it's kept me alive," I stated as I flexed my shoulder.

Sheila asked, "What else can you do?"

My lips curled into an evil toothy grin as I turned invisible. Everyone gasped and began looking around. They began to get edgy, especially when I spoke in very close or awkward times, "I'm everywhere…and nowhere…at the same time." A rustling tree branch made everyone jump. Spectre only sighed.

I turned visible again, hanging upside down on the branch, my hair hanging out of my hood. "These two abilities are the only ones inherited by Scar and I."

Spectre muttered, "Yeah. Can you come down now?"

"No."

He rolled his eyes, grabbed my shoulders and with a gentle yank, he pulled me down off the branch and into his arms. I gave him a cheeky grin, while he frowned, "I saw what you did."

My grin quickly faded, "See what?"

"What you did to prove yourself."

I gulped, "Oh shit."

"Did you even think before you did that? What about what I-"

I quickly scrambled out of his arms, "Now's not the time for such words, Spectre."

Nick growled, "Indeed."

"Spectre, this is Nick. Nick, this is Lt. Vincent 'Spectre' Overbeck," I introduced them.

Spectre smiled politely and rose his claw to the Common. "Hey. I've heard a lot about you, Nick."

"Good things, I hope," he stated, just looking at his Witch like claws.

Spectre pulled his claw away awkwardly and cleared his throat. "Ok then."

"Have you hurt Chris?" Nick stated very bluntly.

Spectre was actually taken back from it. "I would never. She's my only friend. Why would I want to hurt her?"

The con artist looked at the chimera's body structure and muttered, "I'm not sure if she'll take that."

"Nick!" I yelled at him, my pale cheeks lit up.

Coach shouted, "That was uncalled for, Nick! Don't be a cock blocker!"

He growled, "I'll be one if I want to!"

"Well, this is off to a charming start," Spectre sighed.

After giving Chloe a proper burial, I introduced Spectre to the rest of the team (and injecting him with the same serum I was injected with, to enable speech) and we decided to head back towards Rayford. Why? Because it was the only town nearby that had plenty of supplies left to spare. My only issue was that we were heading back to Bill's final resting place.

With a lot of thought, Spectre and I decided not to move Bill's ashes, but put a tarp over them with a couple of weights to protect them from the wind. I still have his cap and name patch, while Spectre still carried his M16 on his back. This may be a touchy moment for me and Spectre…and subtly for Sheila as well. She'll be looking down at her grandfather's ashes.

I sighed as I stopped at the cremation site we created three weeks ago for him. I looked in and actually smiled that the tarp was doing its job and protecting him. Spectre frowned as he took my side, looking in at his cremated father. I sighed and spoke a little too loud (by accident), "Three generations of Overbecks here together."

Spectre froze up a bit when I said it. "Must you be so loud?"

"Chris was never a quiet one," Sheila admitted as she looked in as well, taking my other side. "I've known her forever. Despite our age difference, she's always been there to help me out, no matter what. She even saved my life…before this zombie apocalypse."

Spectre looked at her and asked, "How?"

"It was my spring break about three years ago. I was in Miami, Florida. I went to this sports bar and had a grand time. However, some drunk was hitting on me and nearly forced me into leaving the bar with him. However, Chris came out of nowhere, poked the guy on the shoulder and growled, 'Back off from my little sister' and punched the guy in the nose. The guy flew over the bar and broke a ton of liquor bottles, which he had to pay for. Chris and I got out of there and she warned me of the crime hotspots in Miami…which was pretty much everywhere."

I chuckled, "Yep. Coke central, I'm afraid. You didn't know that I knew that guy. He was a poker buddy of mine."

Ellis quipped, "You certainly know how to attract the right people, Chris!"

"I'll say," Spectre stated softly. "Thank you for protecting her."

"My pleasure," I smiled at him, which made Sheila confused and Nick mad.

He smiled back, while Sheila asked Ellis, "Am I missing something here?"

"I have no idea, darlin'," he shrugged as he gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

Spectre's eye twitched a bit. I sighed and looked up at the sky, yawning. "I think it's best to find a saferoom so we can camp there."

Nick grimaced, "There's no way, we're going back on the Under the River tour again."

"Amen, Nick," Coach agreed.

"Oh, hell no," Ro added with a disgusted tone.

Even Ellis shivered, making Sheila look back and rub his right forearm, thinking he was chilly.

"Judging by your reactions…you guys have been here before?" Alex stated.

"Lil' brother, don't go there," Ellis warned.

Spectre smiled and chuckled, looking away from Bill's cremation site, "I have. I've been here for a long time now, so I have seen this Under the River tour before." He turned to me and stated, "Sewers and construction."

I retched, "Oh great. Construction…meh, I've had worse. But sewers…hell no."

Everyone chuckled, everyone agreeing that the Under the River tour was a no go. I turned to Spectre and asked, "Well, you got any ideas?"

Nick, in a fit of slight jealousy, scoffed, "Why are you asking him?"

"Because if you weren't listening, Nicolas," Nick literally flinched when addressed by his full first name, "Spectre has been here for a long time and he knows the area."

Nick frowned and looked down with an attitude that yelled 'Yeah…so? That's not special or anything.'

"It's fine. And we can always stay at the Shears retail store."

Alex asked, confused, "Wait…isn't it pronounced 'Sears'?"

"No, Alex. It's Shears," Spectre gave him a deadpan look.

I tapped my chin and snapped my clawed fingers, "Oh yeah! I do remember that store! And thank God there's a Save 4 Left nearby as well."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Alex beamed.

Shears had only one zombie: a Hunter named Gage. He was sleeping on a display bed. Lazerlemon smiled and poked his head. The Hunter grunted softly and began to wake up. He had his eyes clawed out, so his vision wasn't the best. He did smell humans, so he snarled and got ready to attack. Coach was too quick to aim his SPAS, but I quickly stopped him, "Hold up, big guy. Hey, Hunter."

"Gage."

"Ok, Gage. Do you want to die?" I asked such a blunt question that everyone looked at me with small shock.

Gage frowned and nodded, "Yes. You have no idea what has happened to me. I was just a mere survivor out of a group of four. A sole Hunter wiped out my teammates and bit me, leaving me for dead and enduring this Hell alone. Please, put me out of my misery. Kill me. Send me on my way to meet my family."

"Nathan…" I frowned, remembering that it was Nathan that infected him and killed the other three. He told me that happened when he sot after his vengeance for his sister's death. I sighed and took my Magnum from the holster. "That Hunter that infected you is called Nathan. He's Scar's successor."

He looked up and nodded, "Thank you for telling me. One request?"

"Go ahead."

"Aim for my heart," he sat up and pointed to his blood pumping organ. "I know it'll be painful, but I want it to happen. Please."

I frowned, but nodded regardless. "Well, Gage, time to meet your Grim Reaper." I aimed directly at his heart and pulled the trigger without a second thought.

He screeched in pain and flew back onto the bed, his blood staining the white sheets. His body writhed in the worst agony possible, blood shooting out of the bullet wound like a water fountain. Struggling to breathe, he gripped the sheets with his claws, choking on some of his blood, thanks to the heart being so close to the lungs. The bullet must've hit a lung as well.

Everyone watched in horror at Gage's death. Sheila finally had enough and sobbed quietly into Ellis' chest, who held her tight, shielding her from the sight. Coach and Ro both looked away, not wanting to see the zombie in so much pain. Alex and Lazerlemon covered each other's ears, more concerned about their hearing, rather than worried about the gore. Nick just watched, oddly his heart weeping for the creature. He only sighed softly and watched him. Spectre and I stood emotionlessly.

Gage's famous last words: "Here I come, God. I hope you have room for me…with my family…"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back on several of us. Coach began to cry softly, not even sure if his own family was safe or dead. Ro sniffled a bit and gave me a very icy look. "Why did you have to kill him?"

"That's what he wanted," I stared blankly at his dead body. "It was his wish to be put down. He wanted it; I'd never kill without a reason. Like every survivor that opened fire at me…I killed them to stay alive." Sheathing my Magnum, I looked down at my claws and clenched them. "My hands are stained with so much blood…I don't even know if I'm capable of mercy anymore."

Ellis spoke up, "Yes, you are, Chris. What you just did…you showed that Hunter mercy by killing him. I didn't hear anything he said, but from you said to him, you were showing him mercy and ended his torture."

"That's deep, even for you, Ellis," Nick commented.

He looked up and beamed his traditional smile, "Jee, thanks, Nick!"

"Alright, people. Show's over. Let's get to work," Spectre stated.

Ellis, Sheila, Ro, and I went to the Save 4 Less store, while the rest salvaged what they could inside Shears. As I led the way, I chuckled and quipped, "How long do you think it'll take before Nick and Spectre start fighting?"

Sheila giggled, "I have no idea, but at least Spectre is trying to control himself."

"That's because he's a gentleman," I grinned, putting a little swag in my walk, making Sheila, Ro and Ellis chuckle.

"Man, we sure missed you," he smiled.

"Hell, I missed you guys too."

"Nick was heartbroken for the past month because of what you did," Ro frowned.

I sighed softly, "I can imagine."

"And I think that's why he was so happy that you kissed him at Whisperin' Oaks," Ellis smirked.

I blushed, "Well…I…he…umm…it was just proof it was me, remember!"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that~" Ellis teased.

"Sheila, put your man on a leash before I kill him," I warned.

It was her turn to blush, "No way, Chris."

Ro snickered, while Ellis pouted, "I'm not?"

Sheila quickly stated, "Oh, I'm sorry, Ellis!" Giving him a brief kiss on the cheek, she purred, "You are my man, but I'm not putting you on a leash."

I turned around and smirked evilly, "You'll be amazed what fetishes people have~"

Her face lit up, "Christina!"

I laughed as we walked inside. Despite the outbreak, this Save 4 Less store was plentiful. It was rummaged through, but it wasn't wiped out either. Lots of useful supplies were still on the shelves, making our job twice as easy.

"Alright. Guys, grab things that we'll need," Ro stated. "And if you see a zombie, shoot to kill."

I nodded, "Agreed. Just don't shoot me."

We all split up in the store and went to work.

Ellis went to the cosmetics aisle first, finding deodorant, shaving cream, mouth wash (since that may be our only way of cleaning our teeth), and hair brushes. Hell, we all need them. However, on the way down the aisle, the redneck tripped and his arm swept across a shelf, sweeping all of the content onto the floor. "Aww hell," he cursed.

He began to pick everything up in a hurried manner, when Sheila came by to see if he was ok. "Ellis?"

"Huh?" he was startled by her approach, "Yeah?"

"Are you ok?" she asked.

He stood up and played it cool, 'Yeah, yeah. Don't worry 'bout me, darlin'. I was just getting the goods."

She took the box that he had in his hands and looked at it for a very long moment. She looked back at him and flipped the fornt of the box to him. His eyes widened and his face turned bright red. It was a box of Trojan condoms.

"A box…of condoms?" Sheila asked slowly.

Ro and I were walking by and looked at the two. Quickly looking back at each other, we smirked at each other and quipped, "Walking Dead moment." And we quickly went on our merry way, thinking about what happened next.

"Sheila, it's not what you think, I swear it," he pleaded, not wanting her to get the wrong idea about it.

She sighed, "Then what is it?"

He sighed and admitted, "I tripped and cleared everything off the shelf. I tried to pick in all up, but that's when you came in. I didn't want to look like a dork."

She sighed with relief and smiled, "Is that all? Ellis, everyone has those moments. Besides," she walked up to him and gently kissed him on the lips. His blue eyes widened as his lips were being caressed by hers, his arms gently wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She moaned gently and pulled away, resting her forehead against his, "You're my dork."

Ellis smiled and gently gave her an eskimo kiss. "Yay. I'm glad I'm somebody's dork."

Sheila blushed, "Yeah."

Ellis' eyes looked down at her softly and lovingly. "Hey, Sheila?"

"Yeah, Ellis?"

He blushed as he leaned down and kissed her again. "I…I love you."

Her ears went into shock as her knees got weak. "You love me?"

"Yeah. I do. So, so much."

She beamed and squee'd, embracing him tightly. "Ellis, I love you too!"

His small smile blossomed into an ear-to-ear smile. Wrapping his arms around her tightly as well, he purred, "I love you more.~"

"No, I do~" she giggled.

The redneck chuckled, "Nah, I do~"

On the other side of the store, I yelled, "Ok, we get it! You're madly in love with each other! Get back to work!"

The couple instantly blushed and gently separated. "Damn, since when did she get that good hearing?"

Ellis chuckled, "She's a Hunter. That's when."

"Correction, babe: she's an Alpha Hunter."

Ellis blushed, "You called me 'babe'~"

Ro sighed and turned to me in passing, "We need to separate them."

"Agreed," I chuckled.

Sheila smirked and took the box of condoms, slipping it into her bag. With a wink, she purred, "Just in case, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded with a sheepish blush.

Heading back to Shears with full bags of food, water, and other supplies, I smirked. Ro was confused, "Why are you smirking like that, Chris?"

Suddenly, Spectre appeared in front of us, startling Ellis, Sheila, and Rochelle. "I'm why."

"Holy shit!" Ellis nearly jumped to the ceiling.

The chimera laughed, "Relax, Ellis."

"What the hell is that ability of yours?"

Spectre stated, "It's a long story, I'm afraid. We don't have time."

Lazerlemon hopped over to me side and embraced, "Hey, Chris!"

"I was only gone for an hour," I chuckled, gently ruffled his scruffy blonde hair.

"I know, but you're the only one I know that can handle such stubborn men!"

Sheila burst out laughing, "That's her in one sentence!"

"Fuck off, Sheila," I chuckled lightly.

Ro asked, "Have Nick and Spectre been fighting?"

"More like trying to challenge each other," he stated.

Spectre grumbled, "We have not…"

Lazerlemon snapped, "My ass!"

"Oh, calm down, Lazerlemon. They'll be separated…just like Ellis and Sheila," I muttered.

Sheila pouted, "Aww, but why?"

I smirked, "I have my reasons."

Spectre cocked an eyebrow and looked at his daughter and then at the redneck who had her by the hand tenderly. He hummed and his pale blue eyes flared with protectiveness. If I knew Spectre, then I knew he'd die to keep Sheila safe…even if she doesn't know who he is.

Gathering everyone together into a group, I concluded that since Shears isn't a saferoom, we have to take turns with patrols to keep everyone safe. Ro and Ellis will go first. Alex and Coach will go next. And since I was so powerful, I can patrol alone. My shift started at after Alex and Coach's, just before dawn.

When it was my turn, Coach was so pooped that he could hardly speak when he shook my shoulder. I grumbled as I rolled off the display bed I was sleeping on. Cracking my back and neck, I sighed heavily as I began to walk around the department store, keeping an eye out on everything and anything.

I walked outside and climbed up onto the roof. The air was very cold and brisk; making me glad I was wearing a hoodie. I looked up and saw all of the beautiful stars in the dark sky. I smiled and sighed softly, "They're so beautiful."

"So are you," someone purred behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Nick.

I blushed a little, "Oh, Nick. Since when were you a flatterer?"

He walked over to me and stated, "I always have. You just don't seem to notice."

"Well, pardon me for focusing more on my survival than your smooth tongue."

Nick smiled and walked over to my back, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulled my back into his chest. "Why don't you focus on it now?"

I blushed and my body suddenly grew very hot. "Nick…"

"Shh…" he purred, spinning me around so I was facing him. Looking up at him, he was still the handsome conartist I knew and loved, but a bit paler, thanks to the infection. "Don't speak." Gently removing my hood from my head, I had to blink out some of the light. He softly touched the scar that still resided on my forehead, frowning, "You still have it."

"I will until the day I die," I frowned.

He gently cupped my cheek and whispered, "Which won't happen for a very, very long time, Christina. I promise you that."

He very gently leaned down and his lips softly captured mine in a very warm and comforting union. This was the first time kiss of ours that wasn't rushed or looked upon. It felt so…heavenly once we stopped and shared a real kiss with each other.

Gently wrapping my arms around his neck, the kiss was deepened, making Nick groan very softly. I groaned as well, my lower body going numb from the blissful sensation that was activated by our lips together in harmony. Nick decided to take it one step further. Taking his arm, he placed it on the small of my back, forcing me to slightly dip backwards. His sexy move aroused me.

And apparently, it aroused him too.

Thank God, I'm a woman, on that note.

Nick very gently pulled away and took a small step back, so his hardening meat wasn't attached to my inner thigh. "Sorry."

"Nick, if you didn't get a boner, I'd be worried," I quipped lightly.

He chuckled and stated, "That's true. Well, I better take care of it before my pants get tighter and get too painful to walk." With a very quick kiss on the lips again, he smiled sweetly at me as he left the roof, leaving me alone to deal with my own arousal.

**Ellis: Oh wow! Sweet! Finally some real romance in this story!**

**Sheila: Yeah, but man…that was a bit sexual, even for a teen rated story.**

**Ellis: Oh yeah…this story's not teen anymore.**

**Sheila: You're kidding.**

**Ellis: Nope! It's mature now!**

**Sheila: Oh boy. What will happen in the future chapters? …don't answer that, Ellis.**

**Ellis: Aww.**

**Sheila: I guess that's it for this-**

**Spectre: Wait!**

**Ellis: Spectre, what are you doing in our author's note?**

**Spectre: Today is my owner ****Awkward Headshot's**** birthday!**

**Sheila: No way!**

**Spectre: Yes way! April 24****th****! And your owner, Sheila, is kind enough to write an alternate end, just for him…and me~**

**Ellis: Non-canon, right?**

**Spectre: Sadly, yes. Enjoy!**

I smiled and sighed, "They're so beautiful."

"So are you," a familiar voice purred behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Spectre emerging from the shadows.

I blushed and chuckled at his sweet comment, "Thanks, but you shouldn't flatter me. It gives me a big head."

The chimera nodded and asked, "Do you still love him?"

"Nick?"

"Yes."

I frowned and turned towards him, "I…I'm not so sure. But that doesn't mean you can step in on the rebound and catch me."

"Why not, Chris?" he whimpered, getting closer. "You have no idea how much that kiss you have him hurt me."

I cocked an eyebrow, acting confused, but I knew deep inside why it did so. "Hurt?"

"Yes. It ripped my heart in half. Do you know why?"

I gulped, "Is it because you love me?" That was the only logical explanation I could think of.

In a flash, his forward advance evaporated into a puff of smoke. The sneaky chimera reappeared behind me, scooping me up into the bridal-style position and kissed me feverishly.

I was shocked by his sudden actions, but oddly, I didn't retreat from them. Closing my eyes gently, I let my sense of touch be my dominating sense. His lips were so hot from unspoken passion he had for me. His strong arms held me up to him as my hands very gently rested on his shoulders. I don't know why I liked the kiss so much, but something in my heart told me this is right.

Getting swept by his burning bliss, I began to kiss back. A soothing moan escaped the bottom of Spectre's throat as he very gently nibbled my lower lip, wanting to get access to uncharted territory. At first, I denied it, not wanting to go so far in one night. He pulled away for a moment, whimpering, "Please?~" To keep his mouth busy, he parked them onto my hooded earlobe, making my very core shiver with pleasure I haven't felt in years.

"I must…resist…" I gasped softly; my hands that were on his shoulders now began to claw them.

He hummed gently into my ear, "You know you can't. Your body won't let you."

"Fuck you…" I whimpered, "Fuck you hard."

His lips curled into a lustful smile against my skin as he quickly recaptured my lips with his own. Giving in to temptation, I opened my mouth with a groan and his tongue was more than welcome to come in. My tongue greeted his, ready to be tangled together.

Our steamy actions really began to make it hard to concentration at the task at hand. Plus, our kisses also aroused each other. I was the first to pull away, softly panting as I looked at the war-hardened chimera holding me. He smiled very gently and lovingly as he finally answered my question: "Yes, I do."

**Me: I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Birthday, pally! **

_In Memory of: Gage (full name TBA)_

_Chloe (full name TBA)_


	15. Chapter 15

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 15: Separate Ways**_

"Ok, my little peeps," my voice purred over the intercom of the store, "It's about 8:30 in the morning, so it's time to WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

Everyone yelped or swore as they woke up from my booming voice. I placed my claw over the intercom to laugh at them. Suddenly, Spectre came out of nowhere and tackled me to the floor. With a yawn, he loomed over me, grumbling, "Don't do that again."

"Ok, ok! I won't do that again, Spectre."

He pouted, "Vincent, please."

I slipped from underneath his body and stood up, "I'll think about it."

"Think about it?" he frowned as if he was a puppy who was denied a treat.

"Yeah, because I'm so used to calling you 'Spectre'. I call you 'Vincent' during special moments…like when you defended me yesterday against Sir Rambo."

He blushed softly and asked, "Remember that kiss?"

I gulped and blushed, "Umm…which one?"

"Oh right, we shared more than one kiss," he smiled softly. "Yesterday's kiss, after I kicked Sir Rambo's ass."

"Oh, that one," I blushed, "Well…" Suddenly, I looked down at Spectre's claw, which was on the intercom button. "Oh shit…"

"What?" He looked down and gasped as he quickly removed his claw. He turned back to me with a scared look on his face. "Do you think Nick heard that?"

We looked down through the security room we were in and saw Nick sitting on the bed, holding his face in his hands. I gave Spectre an evil glare, "No! He just has a hangover!"

"Chris, I know that's not a hangover; he wouldn't be moving if it was," he explained with a deadpan look.

I growled, "I was being sarcastic, jackass!" He frowned a bit as I ran down to the sales floor. I walked over to Nick and started, "Nick…"

He interrupted me softly, "Just…don't."

The whole morning has been tension filled. Even Lazerlemon knew how bad it was. "Why can't I breathe?"

"Because the air's thick with tension between Chris and Nick," Alex stated quietly.

Spectre felt bad that a simple mistake could cause such tension between the con artists. Deep in his heart he knew it was his own fault. Walking up to me, he sighed softly, "I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't mean to say that over the intercom."

"Whatever, Spectre. Nothing to do now," I sighed. "I think it's best to keep our distance from each other."

"You and Nick?" he asked, not liking the possible correct answer.

I softly shook his head, causing him to gently gasp. "No. Us. You and me."

"But…Chris, don't do that…" his eyes were pleading.

"Spectre…" I walked away, "Just stay away from me for a while."

His heart snapped in half. As he watched me walk away to help with the packing and rations of the supplies, his eyes grew glossy as he softly called my name, "…Chris…Christina…"

Ro asked, "Chris, what's the plan?"

"First things first, keep Nick and Spectre separated from each other and from me." The following survivors were shocked by this request. Especially Sheila.

"Wait…why?"

"Both need a chance to cool down. Plus, love has no place here."

"Love?" Coach yelped.

"Yes. However, off the subject, how did you guys get here?"

"Alex is an official helicopter pilot now. He flew one of the military's choppers here onto the highway."

"Perfect. We can use it to be transported."

"Yeah, but to where?" Ro asked.

I thought about it and stated, "Why not Ducatel, but we say clear of the sugar mill. I need to talk to Scar and straighten things out. No one else go near it!"

Sheila gulped, "But you'll get attacked again! Remember when you saved Nick at the cost of your own life?"

I grumbled, "Yes, I remember that. But fuck it. I have the power to fight all of those witches if I need to."

"But Chris, I don't to see you die again!" she cried. She embraced me tightly, softly crying at the mere thought of me dying again.

I frowned and embraced her back, "I'll be extra careful this time. Besides, Scar won't let me become the witches' scratching post."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course," I smiled confidently. However, I'm not so sure how he'll take my betrayal. He mostly will be very pissed. But, I know Scar enough to know he won't hurt me…or at least feed me to his witch fan club.

Sheila looked up at me with teary eyes, "Ok. But…I don't want to see you get hurt again. You're like my only family, Chris!"

I gulped and thought of Spectre. He is her real father and she doesn't even know! How can I even break it to her? Should I do it? Or should Spectre do it? Maybe I'll discuss it with him when he's calmed down and Nick's not too upset. However, I had to comfort her somehow. "Sheila, relax. What if I told you…you weren't alone?"

"W-what do you mean?" she asked.

I stated, "There is more family of yours than you know. Same with mine."

Sheila blinked, "Wait…who?"

"A forgotten twin brother."

"What a Star Wars moment," Ellis commented.

"Yeah, it sounds it," Ro added.

I sighed, "I know. I have no idea what he looks like or what he acts like. All I know is what I've read in my Mom's diary. His name is Zachary Starly. He was taken by our father, our real father Marcus, in the divorce and he stayed in New York all of his life. Sadly, that's it."

Coach asked, "Do you have any hunches?"

"Coach, I doubt it. After all, he's most likely in New York," Ro stated.

"Actually, as strange as it seems, I do have a hunch. Scar."

"That Hunter?" Sheila cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, and here's my evidence. He's very protective of me from the start. He's a bit cruel and blunt when it came to my training. And whenever Spectre came with me, he's been very hateful of him being near me."

"Sounds like an over-protective boyfriend," Coach muttered.

Ellis stated, "Or a brother. That's sounds about right."

"Yeah, that's my theory. So, I must confront him about it."

"Ok then. Ducatel it is," Coach smiled.

Apparently, Spectre wanted to stay in Rayford, to avoid more heartache. We shared no departing words. The jukebox nearby spoke for us, in the form of the song "Separate Ways" by Journey.

_Someday love will find you_

_Break those chains that bind you_

_One night will remind you_

_How we touched_

_And went our separate ways_

_If he ever hurts you_

_True love won't desert you_

_You know I still love you_

_Though we touched_

_And went our separate ways _

We only looked at each other with sad expressions and walked away. My only regret was that he wasn't able to spend more time with his own offspring.

After arguing about helicopter seats, it was decided that only I would be the one to go on foot. I know how to get to the sugar mill from the high way, but it will take some time, even with my speed. However, it won't be that bad.

I walked up next to the helicopter and Alex, "Hey, Alex! Do you know how to get to Ducatel?"

"I think so," he stated, getting ready for takeoff.

"Just go east. Find the swamps and the Mississippi River. Follow it east towards New Orleans." He gave me the thumbs up, understanding my directions.

I smirked as I decided to start running. I was already down the road from the Motel 6 when the helicopter was just hovering off the ground. Hopping up the billboard behind one of the motel buildings and jumped onto the nearest building, I raced across the flat roofs and into the trees, leading me into the front gates of Whisperin' Oaks.

As soon as I landed in front of the park's gates, a horde roared faintly as I smelt Commons running my way. I only grinned, almost evilly. Time to get to work.

Standing up on my hind legs, but keeping my knees bent, I withdrew my Magnum and decided to go completely Revy-crazy on their undead asses. Sure, I had only one hand gun, but hell, I was deadly with it. Quickly reloading it with a fresh clip, my eyes flashed lethally as I took aim at the nearest zombie head and blew it to pieces. One led to another. Boom boom boom! One bullet, one headless zombie. That was the vicious cycle that I knew from the start of this apocalypse.

The horde was dealt with very quickly. However, as soon as I heard Brawl's roar of anger, "Christina! You traitor!", I knew from the get-go I was going to be hunted down by my friends. As much as it pained me to see them attack me, I knew it was going to happen. I broke the rules; they have the right to break me. If…they can catch me.

Salt Lick's tongue launched out of nowhere and wrapped itself around my body. I yelped, digging my heels into the dirt as his tongue tried to reel me in like a fish. I turned my head, seeing my former Smoker comrade as I bit hard into his tongue with my sharp teeth. He only wheezed with response as he doubled his efforts to pull me in. I growled as my footing began to give way. As I wiggled and squirmed, my legs finally gave way and I crashed into the bloody dirt with a yelp.

Salt Lick smirked as he reeled me in, "I have you now, Chris! No hard feelings, right?"

Suddenly, my survival instincts kicked in. Flashbacks of my con artist days reeled through my eyes. As soon as I got up to Salt Lick, he grabbed me by the collar of my hoodie and rose his claw to scratch me. My eyes narrowed.

He swung it down to scratch my face, but I quickly caught it…with my teeth. He yelped loudly and yanked his skinny arm out of my mouth. Thanks to my sharp, seriated teeth, his arm was nearly ripped to the bone of his skin and muscles. He yelled in pain as he grabbed his arm, trying to stop the bleeding. I leaped to my feet and tackled him to the ground to give his tongue some slack. Seeing a night post nearby, I grinned as I grabbed Salt Lick by his own collar and dragged him over to the post. Forcefully slamming him into it, I quickly began running around the post, his tongue wrapping him up tightly. I spiraled around to release myself and used the end to finish it off. I growled lowly to him as I began to walk away, "No hard feelings, Salt Lick, right?"

He only wheezed softly.

Running through the grounds on my hind legs, my hood flew off and my hair whipped through the wind. With a Magnum in my claws, I shot Common heads on the run. Hearing Detour's cackling, I knew he was my next foe.

Abby came out of the shadows and frowned, "Sorry for this." With a quick hack, she spat a big ball of acid towards my feet, causing me to leap back and into Detour's trap.

The Jockey leaped onto my shoulders and cackled madly, "This is what you get for what you did!"

I growled as Detour tried to steer me into the acid patch on the ground. I growled, "You're not going to ride me!" Falling to my front claws, I began to thrash around and leap around like a wild bull. Detour yelped and held on for dear life, which seemed to be working. With a growl, I leaped up high into the air and landed…on my back into the acid patch. Detour screeched in agony as the acid began to corrode his leathery flesh. Some of the acid did get on my hoodie and the bottom of my pants, making me yelp and leap back onto my feet. Detour hissed in agony as he writhed in the acidic pool. Abby ran up to try and help me, but I grabbed his ankle and threw him at her. She caught him alright, but she also fell backwards. I quickly took off running before she got up.

I stop for a second…and get puked on. "Fuck! Booms!"

The fat, burping zombie called from above, "How did you know it was me?"

"Not that hard!" I snarled as I shook a ton of the bile off my body. Another horde came running. "Oh shit!" Grabbing my Magnum out of the holster, I reloaded quickly and took off running, blasting everything that moved in my way. Eventually, the icky bile was cleared from my vision and I could see clearly again. Blinking a couple of times, I was in front of the stadium. "Oh. Holy damn. I made it this far blind? Wow."

However, my blood ran cold when I heard Brawl's terrifying roars of rage. "CHRISTINA!"

"Of course. The big boss battle," I quipped to myself.

Brawl leaped down from the top of the stadium, hoping to get the drop on me, but I gasped and quickly rolled out of the way. However, stumbling on a toppled-over rubbage can, Brawl did hit me into the chainlink fence near the stadium entrance. My heavy Hunter frame caused the fence to be ripped out of the ground with me skidding against the asphalt path. Growling, I got on my claws and knees, my left cheek shredded from my crash landing.

"Ow. Brawl, I hope you know that hurt," I hissed, touching the bloody flesh on my face.

"Good! I hope it did!" he bellowed as he swung his massive arm at me again.

I did dodge it this time, taking my Magnum and unloaded a full clip into the Tank's torso and neck. He moved too much to aim for the head.

I growled and hopped away from the lumbering zombie to reload. However, I only had a few bullets to my name. "Fuck me! Where's Spectre with his sharpshooting when I need him?" I hissed to myself. Brawl roared and picked up a huge slab of concrete and hurled it at me. I was able to leap into the air to miraculously dodge it, but on my way down, I lost my footing. I crashed to the ground hard, my right elbow popping out of joints. I yowled in pain as I switched my Magnum to my left claw.

Brawl saw I was in pain, so he grinned and grabbed my torso and forced me into the ground. Pinning me down, crushing me little by little, he growled, "This is for Sir Rambo and Chloe."

"I…didn't…hurt…Chloe!" I snarled as I took aim with my left and fired.

The Tank gave me a very blank look. Blood poured from the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. Brawl was dead before he hit the ground behind him.

With a slight wheeze, I holstered my firearm and slowly rose to my feet. I looked at the dead Tank and then turned to see Nathan with a very frightened look on his face. I frowned, my right arm limp. "Nathan, I'm sorry."

"Chris…why?"

"In this world, Nate, it's kill or be killed. I think you know that better than anyone." I sighed, "He was killing me. I had to stop him." Taking a nonthreatening stance, I held my left arm out and whimpered, "Go ahead and attack. I won't fight you, Nate."

He rapidly shook his head as he backed away, "No. I won't."

"Well…can you at least stage it?"

"Huh?"

"Fake it."

"Oh…how?"

I walked over to him, took his own claw and shredded my right sleeve. I hissed in pain, which made Nathan gasp and take his claw back. "Why did you do that!"

I grunted softly when his claw actually cut into my flesh. "To stage a Hunter attack. Mainly, yours."

"Are you a masochist or something?"

I laughed, "I have no idea if I am or not! I could be!"

Nathan frowned, "Where will you go?"

"The sugar mill. I need to talk to Scar."

"Chris? I'm not sure he'll be happy to see you."

I sighed, "That's a risk I'll have to take." With a nod to the Hunter, I took off into the stadium and towards the stage. Leaping over the chainlink fence with only my left arm, I nearly had my pants caught on the top of it. As soon as I landed, my right arm began to heal. "Good, I need it." As soon as I saw the helicopter fly over my head, I growled and took off running on my hind legs, waiting for the process to be done.

When it finally did, I fell onto all fours and took off.

Running nonstop into the swamp, I couldn't help but think of Spectre. He looked so unhappy when we had to split, and aside from losing Bill, I've never seen him so upset before. With a heavy sigh, I kept going deeper and deeper down the highway that led to the swamps. Now's not the time to think of him. I have to keep a clear head. I have to close my heart away like I've done for years.

I suddenly stopped as soon as that thought crossed my mind. How can I simply close my heart again? Neither Nick nor Spectre…no, Vincent…hurt me in any way, unlike Marshal. What he did was unforgivable. That's why I closed myself off to love altogether. To the two men that care so much for me, how can I just turn cold and shrug them off without making my own emotional recoil hurt so much?

Gritting my teeth in frustration, I snarled and roared into the sky, tears of turmoil suddenly pouring down my face. "WHAT THE FUCK SHOULD I DO?"

Oh boy, did I wish I kept my mouth shut.

The military chopper suddenly dipped in the sky, shuttered around and then took the ultimate nosedive into the trees.

I gasped as I high-tailed it into the woods, frantic to find the chopper. If my friends were hurt, I'll feel guilty for not protecting them. Ducking and weaving through the trees, my senses were numb with only one thought in my head: find them.

What I didn't notice as I bolted to the rescue was the big, lumbering, walking scrap-yard zombie watching my every move. With a grin, it stated, "Some things never change, Christina."

**Nathan:** What the hell…?

**Ro:** I don't know. Apparently, our author wants to keep it a secret.

**Me:** *working on chp 16 as they speak*

**Nathan:** Wow, she's on a roll.

**Ro:** Once again, Spectre belongs to Awkward Headshot, previously known as A little help here. Oh, and vote! Vote for Chris' lover! Nick or Spectre? Vote please!

_In memory of:_ Brawl the Tank (human name TBA)


	16. Chapter 16

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 16: A Painful Blast from the Past**_

The helicopter crash landed near the first crash site. As the moans and curses subsided, Coach looked outside to see the first chopper, rusted and in pieces. "Alex, what the hell, young'un? Are your choppers attracted to this place?"

"Don't blame me, Coach!" the young hick grumbled as he removed his military helmet and rubbed a spot on his head. "Something hit the propellers."

Ro crawled out of the wreckage, armed with one of her pistols. "What is stupid and strong enough to destroy that?"

Nick was quick to follow her. Gritting his teeth, he popped his back loudly and grunted, "This apocalypse took away years I'll never get back. I swear I have the back of a 50 year-old man!"

"I heard that, Nick!" Coach barked at the bitching con man.

Sheila, who landed on top of a knocked-out Ellis, groaned, "Good thing I landed on him."

Lazerlemon kicked his way out of the cockpit with his strong taloned foot and hopped out. Alex watched the young Hunter hopped away from the wreck, stand up on his tip toes and chirp. The odd sound was different to him. "Lazerlemon! What are you doing?"

"Trying to call Chris without alerting a horde."

Alex blinked, "Oh. Ok then."

Nick pointed out, "For a blonde, this kid is quite smart."

"Of course Lazerlemon is smart," Sheila called out to Nick, "Chris raised him herself. Almost like a son."

Nick looked back at the chirping Hunter and hummed in thought. "A son?"

Suddenly, the blonde Hunter stopped and began to cower. At this time, Nick walked towards him, while Coach and Alex got up to check the propellers. One of the blades was cut off, therefore how it lost control fast. "But how?" the pilot asked.

Nick asked the frightened Lazerlemon, "What's wrong, fluffy?"

"There's something out there…waiting. Something strong. Very strong," he whispered.

Nick blinked and looked back into the woods, "Like what? Like a Tank?"

He shook his head, "No. Something much worse." A split second later, Lazerlemon tackled Nick to the ground as a long javelin zoomed over their heads. It struck the ground beside Rochelle, making her yelped and freak out, "What the fuck is that?"

Nick grunted, "Thanks for that."

He didn't answer; instead he looked back to the woods with utter horror etched on his hooded features. In fear for his life and for the others, Lazerlemon bellowed at the top of his lungs, "CHRIS! HELP US!"

I appeared out of the woods on the west side and ran into the clearing. "Oh my God."

Nick looked up and gasped softly, "Chris!"

I stopped and asked, "Is anyone hurt?"

"Ellis is knocked out cold, but he's still ok," Sheila stated.

"Good. Try to wake him up. Any more casualties?" I asked, my leadership skills kicking in.

Alex looked at me and shook his head, "No, we're ok."

I nodded, but Ro spoke up, "Alex, I was nearly stabbed by this thing!"

I turned to her and my eyes widened underneath my hood. I walked over to the javelin and growled, "There's one here."

"One what?" she asked me.

"I have no idea what they're called, but they are smaller than a Tank, but bigger than Spectre. They have these long sharp metal objects sticking out of their bodies that they use as weapons. I've fought against one before. It actually killed Spectre in the process."

"Wait…how is that even possible?" Ro asked with a cocked eyebrow.

With a sigh, I stated, "It's hard to explain right now." Taking the javelin into my claws, I pulled it out of the earth and twirled it around and held it tight in an attack stance. "This species of zombie is hard to kill, so be on your toes."

Ro stood behind me, her pistol ready.

Lazerlemon was about to hop over to my side, but another javelin caught the cloth of his hood, forcing him into a nearby tree truck. He yelped and whimpered frantically as he tried to get free. Nick was about to help him, but I quickly snarled, "Nick! Get back! Now!"

He turned to face me and argue his rebuttal, but seeing the lethal and serious look on my shady face made him rethink his previous actions. I ran past him and threw the javelin back into the woods, where it struck something…fleshy.

Lazerlemon suddenly froze and began to shake. Taking the second javelin out of the tree letting the terrified Hunter free, he pointed over my shoulder, "C-C-Chris…"

I spun around with the long steel pole in my claws, ready to fight this thing. It slowly moved forward in the shadows, chuckling, "My, you've grown even more violent than I remember."

I growled, "What are you even talking about?" The Infected among our group, which is Nick, Lazerlemon, Sheila (whose scratch on the arm enables to understand 'zombie speak' partially), and I. Alex, Rochelle, Coach, and Ellis are clueless about what this creature is saying.

"Oh come on now, Chrisy," it continued.

I snarled, my lethal aura spreading to the others, indicating how dangerous I was becoming. "No one calls me 'Chrisy'! No one!"

The creature finally emerged into the sunlight. The survivors gasped at the odd and horrifying beast advancing on me and Lazerlemon. It pulled the javelin out of its arm and tossed it to the side idly, "Your aim got worse, I will admit that."

I scoffed, "I wasn't even trying. If I was, then that javelin would be through your fuckin' head!"

"Oh, but you have damaged my head. With a very bloody titanium bat," it snarled.

My eyes widened as it continued, "Oh yes. I hit a memory now. Remember who lived with you and kept you alive when you were so coked up you could barely remember your own name."

My eyelid twitched as my grip on the javelin got so tight; it cut into my bare right palm. My heart roared like a furious dragon hell-bent on vengeance and nothing else. Vicious memories flashed into my head between me and this man-turned-beast. My lips curled into a snarling frown, my eyes red with rage. I can even still smell the coke residue in my nose. I remember now; the pre-apocalyptic person.

The one I thought I could trust.

The one who took everything from me.

The person I left for dead.

"Marshal…"

**Sheila:** …

**Ellis:** …

**Me:** Talk about a reunion. Sorry this chapter is so short. The next one will be so action packed; I may explode for it all! A few twists will keep everyone on the edge of their seats. I can't wait! Even though Spectre wasn't in this chapter, he was mentioned, so I might as well credit his awesome owner for letting me use him. He belongs to Awkward Headshot, my badass 'cowriter' …although he doesn't write any part of this story. He helps me with ideas and that damn writer's block. Be sure to thank him. If it wasn't for him, my story would be still on chapter 4!


	17. Chapter 17

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 17: Lethal Attractions **_

Something in me snapped. Something lethal.

Sheila crawled out and gasped, "Oh my God. What is that thing?"

Marshal snapped his attention to her and began to lumber towards her. I bellowed, "DON'T YOU FUCKIN' DARE!" I lunged for him, which shocked everyone that I attacked without even thinking. Marshal gasped as I tackled him into his left side, making him launch into the dirt.

As I hopped away a couple feet, he chuckled as he stood up, "Damn, Chris. I knew you cared for Sheila, but not as protective like she was your own daughter."

"Oh, Vince would like that too much," I hissed.

The Haggard shook himself off, some of the metal shards in his back gently clinking together. "Who's Vince?"

Lazerlemon asked, "Isn't it Spectre's human name?"

The air around everyone suddenly got very thick. Sheila stared at me with surprise. "Chris…what do you mean?"

"Sheila, you're an Overbeck, not a Spyri. I learned this from your true biological father, Lt. Vincent 'Spectre' Overbeck."

"How do you know if that's true or not?" she cried out to me.

"Because I show the proof. He told me the story. Plus…you look so much like your real biological mother. You also have his pale blue eye."

Marshal grinned, "Where is this Vincent now?"

"He's not here," I growled, taking another striking stance with the javelin.

"Aww, what a shame. I'd figure I'd torture him to death while you watch. After all, if he loves you, he wouldn't fight back."

I snarled and attacked again with animal ferocity. Marshal hissed as he was shoved to the side. However, he stood his ground and swung his arm, hitting me off him. My rolling momentum made me back roll onto my feet again. I barked at Lazerlemon, "Guide everyone out of here! I'll handle Marshal."

"But, Chris…"

"NO 'BUTS'! JUST DO IT!"

He flinched at my barking voice, but he knew how dire this fight will be if anyone got hurt. Gathering up all of his strength, he leaped towards the survivors and tried to usher them deeper towards the swamps. "Come on, guys! She'll keep him busy while we escape!"

Nick snarled as he grabbed his Assault Rifle, "No fucking way she'll take down that thing by herself."

"Nick, trust me on this, she'll be ok!" Sheila agreed with Lazerlemon's orders.

The Common-infected con artist frowned as he turned back to watch me fight this overgrown porcupine. I seem to have the advantage of speed and control, but Marshal seemed to have a lot of strength on his side. With a gulp, he pulled Ellis out of the wreck and carried him into the woods towards the swamps. "I hope you all know I hate this idea."

"I hate it too, Nick, but I know when Chris gets this pissed off, it's best to leave her to vent!" Sheila replied as she reloaded her weapon, ready for anything.

I jumped onto his back, while Marshal growled. He thrashed around, trying to get me off his back, but I mock yawned, "Seriously? I've been on cows more thrilling than you."

He thrashed again, "Get off me!"

"Damn, I used to say that to you when you were so drunk off your ass!" I grinned evilly. Somehow, my rage subsided and my very cruel sadistic nature kicked in. Anything to make him furious is a personal victory.

He thrashed more and roared, "You're such a bitch!"

"I'm the Star Hunter, cock-sucker!" I yelled proudly.

Marshal stopped and pulled me off of his back with his hand. I growled like a cat as he launched me into the air. I looked down and gasped when Marshal pulled a javelin out and threw it up towards me. I barrel-rolled away and it scratched my back instead. I yelped in pain and fell to the down with a sickening crunch. However, it wasn't as bad as it sounded; I still got up onto my feet and decided to stall him long enough for my cracking injuries to heal.

"Nice try, Marsh. But I think your aim is even worse than mine."

He scowled, "You rolled out of the way in midair like a fucking jet!"

"Nowadays, you have to do whatever it takes to survive."

"Is that so?" he growled, "You seem to know a lot about my kind. Why is that?"

I didn't know what he was getting at, but I decided to play along to at least amuse him. "Fought against another one like you back in Savannah, GA."

"Ah. That makes sense. Damn, only two of us remain then," he sighed as he stood up straight.

I blinked as my muscles tightened. "Wait…two?"

"Oh, now I caught your attention," he grinned. "I'm only one of three, lab created for serve as killing machines. What the scientists didn't know is that there were two other lab created beasts: Alphas and chimeras."

I gritted my teeth in anger. "Tell me something I don't know!"

"Fine. Alphas were created first. Then Haggards…me. Finally, chimeras were the ultimate killers. You should be lucky you are still fuckin' alive. Every chimera has a short time fuse. Under a lot of stress or provoked to fight, there's no stopping them. They fight until their prey is killed. They were created to spill blood."

What I was told hit me hard. My rage returning, I yelled, "You're fuckin' wrong!"

"Oh, sorry, Chrisy. I forgot your current boyfriend is a chimera," he grinned evilly.

Despite my now-healing injuries, I snarled and pounced at him, taking him by surprise. He yelped as my claws dug into his exposed, shrapnel torso and refused to let go. He snarled as he struggled to get me off. I began to bite into his metal-encased neck, hoping to rip my teeth into a strong vein to cause a lot of bleeding. However, it hurt me more than he was hurt; I got a mouth full of sharp steel.

Finally, Marshal was able to get me off by prying me off with one of his javelins. I leaped backwards and landed hard on my feet. Spitting into the ground, my saliva was red with blood from the steel cutting into my mouth from my bite. With some blood running down from the corner of my mouth, I only growled as I rushed forward again.

Marshal rolled his eyes as he threw the javelin directly at my path, hoping to make me into a Hunter kebob. What he didn't know is that I can change my direction on a dime; a flying javelin can't. Just inches away from my nose, I dashed to my left, causing the flying projectile to collide with the dirt. In what seemed to be slow motion, I grabbed my Magnum out of the holster and leaped sideways through the air, aiming for his head and neck.

With a squeeze of the trigger…nothing. Empty clip.

I fell onto my left side dumbfounded. "Whoops…"

Marshal turned in time to see me completely vulnerable. Seizing this chance, a sharp back arm struck me in the right side. The steel stabbed into my flesh and muscle, making me shriek in pain as he pulled his arm away. Suddenly desperate to regain my advantage again, when he came to attack me again, I fought dirty by throwing bloody dirt into his face. He yelped and thrashed his head, shaking the red earth out of his eyes.

Snarling, he looked around to see only a tiny trail of blood droplets going towards the swamps. "Clever girl…"

Invisible, I held my side as I hopped forward, hoping to heal before Marshal advances on me. Growling at my stupidity, I reloaded my firearm with bloody claws and ventured on. If I ran into the group, good. My only problem would be Nick and Sheila worrying too much about me.

Sure enough, when I got to the river, I saw them, exhausted from the fighting, wanting a break.

Turning visible again, I looked like I single-handedly fought in a war. Blood stained my clothes, while my breathing was in short pants. My muscles were shaking and my eyelids droopy with exhaustion. I was a mess and this was sure to set someone off. Since Spectre isn't here to snarl at me for being so reckless, that person will have to be Nick.

"Guys," I spoke out, but began to cough wildly.

Everyone looked up at me and gasped to see me in such a state. Nick gently kneeled before me and looked at my injuries. With the click of his tongue, he frowned, "You reckless…"

"I called it," I weakly smiled.

He blinked and asked, "Called what?"

"Oh, nothing. It's my own joke," I chuckled to him gently.

He gently lifted my chin up and kissed the corner of my mouth. I couldn't help but blush softly. Nick asked, "Did you kill it?"

I frowned, "Sadly…no."

Coach sighed, "So that bastard is still alive?"

"Again, sadly…yes."

Ellis, who was back on his feet again, gulped, "What bastard?"

"My ex-boyfriend," I grumbled.

Sheila nodded, "Oh, yeah. That bastard. I thought you killed him."

"No. I crippled him with a wooden bat. I left him for dead," I stated.

Ro blinked, "Nick, watch yourself if you officially hook up with her."

We both blushed heavily. Sheila giggled and explained to Rochelle, "Back then, she was a total coke head. If they hooked up now, his head would be intact."

Alex purred, "Which one?"

"Shut up!" we barked in unison.

The hick only giggled in response. "Nick and Chris~ Sitting in a tree~"

"Fuck off, Alex!" Nick hissed.

"Young'un, be mature about this," Coach smacked him upside the head.

"Sorry, Coach."

Lazerlemon hopped down at the tree and panicked, "That thing is coming!"

I growled and whimpered from exhaustion. Standing up right, I wobbled a little. Nick frowned and asked, "Are you hurt?"

"Given the time that's gone by, no I'm not hurt. But I am tired and the lack of blood is making me dizzy."

"Wait…I thought you can regenerate," Sheila stated.

I groaned, "I can regenerate wounds and injuries…blood is a different issue."

"Uh-oh, not good," Coach gulped.

Lazerlemon whimpered, "I wish Spectre was here."

I frowned and nodded, "We can use his strength and tactics right now."

The young Hunter yelled at me, "You don't think of him like that! Chris, you're his only friend! And don't you deny it; you loved him until Nick came back!"

The air grew tense again. I looked down at the ground, when suddenly a javelin whooshed through the air and impaled me in the back. With a shriek that could wake the dead, I fell to the side, writhing in the dirt. Everyone sprang up to see the metal ape zombie come closer.

In a fit of rage, either from my betrayal of love or for his vengeance to protect me, Nick took a hold of his Assault Rifle and opened fire on it. "You mother fucker!"

Marshal hissed when a couple bullets got him. Still lumbering towards the group, everyone followed Nick's lead and fired at the beast. The Haggard only laughed, "The benefit of being experimented with metal is that I'm virtually bullet-proof!"

Lazerlemon dropped to his knees and whimpered as he looked at the javelin in my back. "Oh God, Chris…"

Clawing the ground, I hissed, "I'll be fine. But, one more blow like that, and I'm down for the fuckin' count!"

"Oh, don't die on me!"

"I'll try not to!"

The blonde Hunter took the javelin and pulled it out with a quick yank. I screamed in agony, and clawed the earth underneath my body. My muscles tightened up like crazy as blood poured from the open wound. It only made Lazerlemon whimper more. "Are you ok? Will you be ok?"

I coughed as my head grew dizzy from the blood loss, "Hopefully, I'll be fine."

"Please be ok, Chris," he began to cry.

I looked up and frowned at my young charge crying for my safety. Suddenly, the cease fire made us both look back to the firefight. Marshal had everyone to the ground and had Nick in his hand, crushing his neck.

I gasped and snarled, "Marshal! Your quarrel is not with him! It's with me! And you know it!"

Marshal's head snapped in my direction. "Defending him? Why, Chrisy? You a bigamist now?"

Lazerlemon blinked and asked, "What's that?"

"Someone that has more than one partner," I answered.

"Oh…then, you are, aren't you?"

I muttered, "I don't even know anymore."

Marshal tossed Nick to the side and lumbered towards me. "You don't know? Come on now, Chrisy. You should know by now."

I growled, "Stop calling me that! No one calls me that!"

"I did, when you and I were dancing at prom. You, in that slimming black dress. Holding you close to me. It was heaven. Remember the song we danced to?"

I coughed again and wheezed, "It was 'Two Steps Behind' by Def Lepard."

"That's right. That memory is still fresh in my mind. My life was perfect. But…you ended it. After everything we've been through, you ended it."

My claws began shaking as I began to go into shock, "I had to."

"Why? We had everything."

Trying to control my breathing, I very lightly growled at the javelin. Lazerlemon very subtly pushed it within range of my arm. "Then you don't remember the beatings you'd give me, huh?"

The Haggard stopped and innocently stated, "They were to slap you out of your coke-addicted mind."

My claw scratched the dirt as it reached for it, "Bullshit! You just hated being wrong!"

Marshal growled, "I'm never wrong!"

"You cheating me was making you wrong!"

"And what are you doing now? Huh? If you're not a bigamist, then you're cheating right now! On both men!"

"I never slept with them!" I yelled in rage.

Lazerlemon asked, "Wait…you've slept with me. When I was younger to protect me."

"That sleep is a different kind of sleep, Lazerlemon," I noted.

"But, didn't you sleep with Spectre?"

"Not the sleep they're thinking of."

"Then what sleep are they thinking of?"

"You're too young to know…" I muttered.

"Oh…sex."

I facepalmed. "Yes. Sex."

"Oh! Hell no! She never did that!" Lazerlemon defended me the best he could.

Marshal crouched down to meet the young Hunter face to face and stated lowly, "You don't know her like I do, you little punk."

"Oh yeah? I do!" he yelled back, showing no fear.

"Oh no, you don't," he growled as he pushed Lazerlemon away. The poor guy yelped as he landed in a heap, dazed, but unharmed.

Gripping the javelin tight in my claw, I snarled, "You don't know me, Marshal. You never did!" With the last of my strength, I took the javelin and thrusted up, hoping to stab through the neck or better the head.

A shriek that shook the earth echoed through the whole state.

Sadly, my aim was off. The javelin went through his jaw. With a hard pull towards me, his lower jaw was torn off its hinges, showering me in blood.

Sheila looked up and tried to stand, but was too weak to do so. Not even an adrenaline rush can help her now. "C-Chris…"

"I'm fucked…" I spoke.

The metallic zombie roared and thanks to his lack of a lower jaw, he can't speak very clearly anymore. However, he could still make noises, such as grunts, moans, snarls, etc. Marshal grabbed a hold of my throat and dragged my body against the dirt. Any exposed skin was cut from the sharp pebbles that littered the earth. He dragged me to the bank of the river and without warning, he forced me into the murky water.

Water rushed into my lungs, choking for air.

Suddenly, something tackled Marshal hard enough to let go of me. My body weak and almost life less, I passed out and let the current of the river carry me down stream.

The figure that had enough balls to tackle Marshal was none other than Spectre. With a lethal look in his eyes, this Haggard knew he was looking down a very pissed off chimera. Spectre snarled, "What did you do to her?"

Marshal hissed as he lunged at him, but Spectre was more than ready to fight back and with ten times the force too. He caught Marshal's fist with his long claw effortlessly and within seconds, crushed it completely. Marshal yelled in pain as he used his own body to knock Spectre away. Sadly, despite how big Spectre was, Marshal was bigger and more lethal up close than the chimera was. He snarled as he backed away, allowing the battle-worn Haggard to flee into the woods.

Spectre didn't bother chasing him down; his focus now was on me.

Looking back at the river, his lethal look quickly softened as he leaned over the bank and looked down stream. "Chris!" He tried calling my name, hoping I surfaced and is lying on a nearby bank. However, when I didn't call back, he internally panicked.

Nick was the first to wobble to his feet and approach the chimera, bloody and spend of all energy. However, seeing Spectre here fueled some of his rage towards the chimera and it enabled him to move. "I thought you were staying in Rayford."

"I'm glad I didn't. I need to find her."

The con artist growled, "Why must you find her? You're suddenly the fuckin' hero?"

"Well, you were going such a great job!" Spectre hissed back.

He retorted, "You try fighting that thing without any energy and barely alive!"

With a quick grab of his jacket collar, Spectre hoisted Nick off of the ground, "You try anything that I've done! You'd see things differently."

Sheila looked up and whimpered, "Nick…don't piss him off."

The two feuding men stopped and looked at the struggling woman. Sheila coughed as she sat up out of the dirt. Spectre dropped Nick and walked over to Sheila's side. "Are you ok?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine. What about everyone else?"

His head looked up and scanned to everyone else. Coach and Alex were knocked unconscious, but still breathing. Ro and Ellis were groaning and awake. And, obviously, Nick's on his feet, but barely. Lazerlemon was back on his feet and running up and down the bank, whimpering like crazy. "Everyone seems to be alive. Lazerlemon is freaking out."

"If I had his energy, I would be too," she frowned.

He frowned too and stated, "I'm going to go find her."

"You swim?"

"As a Marine, yes. As a chimera…er…kinda."

She blinked, "I forgot zombies can't swim."

"I'm not a zombie. I'm a lab-created monster, created for death and destruction."

Sheila's frowned deepened and sighed, "Not my father."

He gasped softly and looked at her; his only child. He smiled softly and touched her cheek with his claw very gently, "You do look like your mother."

"So I've been told."

With a gentle smile, he stood up and began to give orders, "Lazer, Sheila, try to get to the nearest saferoom with everyone. Nick, swallow your pride and protect them as much as possible. I need to travel downstream in order to locate her."

"Why do you care so much for my girl?" Nick challenged.

"BECAUSE I LOVE HER!" he bellowed at the con artist.

Lazerlemon stopped when he heard those three words. Sheila gasped softly. Ellis groggily asked, "Did I hear him right? He loves Chris?"

She nodded. "Yeah. My own father loves my best friend. Ellis, is that creepy?"

"Hey, all's fair in love and war, Sheila," he purred softly as he crawled his way to her. "If he truly loves her, then it shouldn't be creepy."

"Ellis, you're right," she smiled softly as she kissed his dirty cheek. He smiled and blushed in response. "Spec- Father."

Spectre's head instantly snapped to his daughter.

Removing her radio from her neck, she handed it towards him, "Here. You can keep in contact with us when you go to find Chris."

Spectre nodded as he took ahold of the radio. "Thank you, Sheila. I know you won't me down. Get them to the nearest saferoom and rest up. That Haggard will be back."

"Come back with her, ok?"

"I will." Spectre hooked it up to his jacket and began to walk towards the bank again. As he passed Nick, the two shared a very deadly glare. The chimera's eyes flashed dangerously as he broke away from his rival's gaze and vanished into his wispy blue smoke.

**Coach:** This is the second time you tried to kill Chris! What's wrong with you?

**Me:** I don't know…maybe because I'm sadistic towards my characters. Will Spectre find her? Or will she face a watery grave?

**Coach:** How cheery. Review and vote!


	18. Chapter 18

The murky water carried my body into a low bank on the river. Thankfully, my body landed on my side so I wasn't inhaling anymore foreign substances that will impair my breathing.

Spectre poofed from place to place along the river, trying to find me. With a whimper, he continued to search, hoping to find me…alive. He hopped onto a low bank and gasped to see my body lying in the sand. "Oh, Chris…" he whispered as he gently flipped me onto my back. My face was blue…well, bluer than usual, thanks to my lack of air in my lungs.

He frowned and threw my body over his shoulder, hoping to get the water out of my lungs due to gravity. After about seven seconds, my eyes shot open and I coughed out water violently. Spectre smiled and sighed with relief. I clawed his back as I wheezed and coughed wildly, getting all of water out so I can breathe again.

Spectre pulled me back into the bridal style position and smiled gently, "Hey there."

I covered my mouth with my claw as I coughed more. Looking up at him, I wheezed, "Hey, Spectre."

"Vincent."

With another cough, I groggily stated, "Spectre."

He purred softly as he rested his forehead against mine, "Vincent, please?"

"Fine…Vincent," I softly coughed with my mouth closed.

His eyes brightened as he purred, "I love it when you call me that."

I blushed a little. "Umm…ok, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Suddenly, the radio on his neck fizzled, "Hel…Hello…"

"Huh?" I coughed as I looked at the radio on his jacket. "When did you get…that?"

"Sheila gave it to me when I went to find you."

"I thought they had headsets."

"This must be an emergency radio. Can you stand?"

I nodded, "Yeah." He gently placed me onto my feet. I stood back and nodded, but suddenly got wobbly. I crashed into the chimera's torso and gripped a hold of him. "No."

He blushed a bit and held me close to his body with one arm. "Stay."

"I'm not going anywhere," I muffled into his chest.

He chuckled softly as he answered the radio, "Spectre here."

"This is Ellis! Can…you…hear me…?"

"Somewhat."

"Did you find Chris…yet?"

He smiled, "Yes, I did."

"Alive?" Nick shouted in the background.

He sighed, "Yes. Alive."

"Good," Ellis sighed with relief. "Can ya poof her back?"

"Do I look like Nightcrawler to you, son?"

"Nah. More like Wolverine with those long claws of yours," the redneck chuckled.

Spectre looked down at his vacant claw and flexed it. His five, long, razor-sharp, witch claws. Frowning a little, he sighed, "No, Ellis. I can't teleport anyone else, other than myself. I've tried."

"Oh, damn. That sucks. I guess that means you have to walk."

"Like Hell!" Nick shouted in the background again. "How do we even know if she's with him?"

Spectre placed the radio to my mouth and sighed, "Speak, girl. Make that stubborn bastard happy."

I sighed and coughed, "Nick…"

Suddenly, he voice got very concerned, "Chris? Are you ok?"

"I'm coughing up a lung, but I'm ok."

"Ok. Just make it back safely. Oh, if you come across that thing again, don't you dare attack it!"

Coughing again, I nodded, "Yes, Nick. I can hardly stand right now. Do you think I'll-"

"Wait…why?" he asked, suspension dripping in his voice.

"I nearly drowned! What are you thinking!" I yelled into the radio, followed by a violent coughing fit.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I'm just edgy, that's all. I've lost you once…I don't think my heart can handle a second time," he sighed softly.

That kinda irked Spectre a little, "You know I'm still here, right?"

He growled, "How can I forget you, Marine?"

"Ha! You could never-" SMACK! "Ow…"

"What just happened?" Ellis' voice came back.

"That was me, smacking him upside the head," I told him.

Ellis laughed, "Kinda hard to pick between two stubborn men, eh, Chris?"

"Oh, come on, Ellis. Now's not the time for this," I sighed. "Oh, and tell Nick he'll get his smack upside the head when I see him too."

"Oh, I'll be glad to pass along that message! Hey, Sheila says hi."

"Hi!" she yelled in the background.

"Hey!" Spectre and I spoke in unison.

Ellis' voice came back, "Ok, here's the situation."

I suddenly began giggling uncontrollably. With a sudden snort, I stated, "Sorry, Ellis, but you just sounded like Cade Courtley from 'Surviving Disaster.'"

He chuckled, "I did? Cool! Well, we're resting in the nearest saferoom."

"The one in the sewer pipe?" I giggled.

"Yeah, the same you saw Nick in his boxers~"

Spectre blinked, "When was this?"

"It was a month ago!" I stated. "Moving on. Ellis, what else?"

"Nothing. We're resting, getting some ammo, getting some sleep, calming Lazerlemon down."

"Oh shit, Lazerlemon. Is he ok?" I asked.

"He's fine now. He wouldn't stop freaking out when you fell into the river. Alex had to calm him down."

"Ok…but he's fine, right?"

He sighed, "Yes, he's fine. Oh, shit. Batteries are low on my end. What about yours?"

I took the radio and checked. Only one bar left. "Damn it. Yeah. Low."

"And I don't think you have any spares on ya either. Fuck, well, I'll make this quick: we're resting for a day to rebuild our strength. Meet us at that plantation. I'll repeat that: meet us at the plantation."

I nodded, "The plantation. Ok, Ellis, I've got it."

"Good. See ya when ya get there! Good luck! Oh, please don't—" Nothing. I looked at it again and it shut down.

Spectre blinked and guessed, "It died, didn't it?"

"Yep," I stated as I clipped it back onto his jacket. "We should start walking."

"Can you stand without using me as a post?" he asked.

I scoffed, "Oh, you like it." He chuckled and blushed as I pushed off and wobbled a bit, although standing upright. "Ok. I'm off to a good start."

"You know I can always carry you," the chimera purred.

I scoffed lightly, "Ha! Do I look like a weak, little woman to you?"

"No," he blinked, "I was trying to be polite and help. I know for a fact you're not a weak little woman."

I sighed, "Sorry for being a little harsh."

He smiled a bit, "It's ok."

I began to bounce on the balls of my feet and began to jog in place for a moment. With my results making my legs less shaky, I smiled and began to walk off of the bank, "Ok then. We're burning daylight."

Spectre smiled as he took my side and started walking…close. I looked around to scan my surroundings. "Well, where are we?" he asked.

"Obviously, in a part of the swamp I haven't been in. Well, our best bet is to go back upstream."

Spectre stepped aside and swung his arm out with a small curtsy, "Ladies first."

"Ok, Spec-"

"Vincent."

"Right, sorry. Vincent, stop."

He blinked again, "Stop what?"

"The chivalry act. It's a bit creepy."

"How is it creepy?" he asked.

I sighed as I walked along the river, "It's just…different. I'm not used to it."

"Well, you should be treated with chivalry," Spectre stated.

"Well, in my life and profession, it's extremely rare to find even a sliver of chivalry."

The Marine frowned, "That's very sad. Hmm. While on this subject, did your last boyfriend show you any chivalry?"

"Oh sure," I stated sarcastically, "If you consider robbing me of my gambling money, cheating on me with five dollar-an-hour hookers, and hitting me…with a brass-knuckled fist, chivalrous."

Spectre stopped and stared at me with shock. "That's just…" He let out a small roar, which startled me, jumping out of my skin and into the dirt. "That disgusts me! Who is this creep?"

"The Haggard that was drowning me," I muttered as I stood back up.

"That zombie was your ex?"

"Yep."

He snarled, his pale blue eyes sparking his lethal thoughts again. "I should have torn him apart when I had the chance!"

"Wait…you fought against him?" I asked.

"Yeah, I tackled the fucker when I saw you being drowned."

"And that was what made him let go of me…thank you, Vincent."

His rage cooled rather quickly. "You're welcome, Chris." Suddenly, a horde roared. Spectre gulped sheepishly, "Whoops."

"You idiot," I facepalmed. Thunder roared over our heads as well. "Fuckin' A! What else can go wrong?"

A fire raged from the east side answered my question.

Spectre sighed, "You idiot."

"I deserved that."

"It was probably a bad Molotov," he stated.

Facing the growing horde, we took our stances to fight. However, that fire was spreading far faster than the Commons. Growling, we had no other choice than to run for it. "Go, go!" he shouted, as we began hopping out of the danger zone.

My heart was beating fast, knowing the fire was at my heels. If I stopped, even for a second, I'll be one second closer to roasting like a chicken. However, if we keep running, maybe that storm will kick in and try to tame this fire.

Spectre looked over to the river and gasped; we can jump to the other side and escape both the fire and the horde at the same time. Using his vanishing trick, he continued to run along the other side. "Chris! Jump!"

I turned my head and shouted, "Are you crazy!"

"Yes! Remember that elevator you got stuck in?"

"How can I forget! All I thought of was 'Poseidon!'"

"Well, it was just like that! Jump! NOW!"

On the very edge of the bank, I took a huge leap across the rushing river. Apparently, the river was much thinner than I thought; I cleared it…while landing on Spectre in the process. We grunted, rolled up into each other on impact and rolled down a hill on the other side. On the bottom, we separated and landed in a heap. "Happy? I jumped," I grumbled into the dead grass.

He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head, "Yes, very."

"Ok then. How many times have I tackled you to the ground now?" I quipped.

"I don't know…but I wish you did that more," he chuckled with a blush.

"Pervert," I sighed as I got up on my claws and knees. Rolling my shoulders and leaning forward, cracking my back, I was suddenly very lax. I sunk into the dead grass again and soothed, "That was nice."

"What was?"

"The tensions in my bones are gone."

With a soft hum, he crawled over to my side and used one claw to light press into my left shoulder blade. He felt my muscles tighten, so he clicked his tongue and stated, "You're so tense, love."

"'Love'? Since when were you British?" I mumbled.

He chuckled, "I lived there when I was off the grid for a while. Now relax."

His palm pressed into my tight muscles and his claws gently gripped my clothed flesh, trying to give me a massage. I rolled my shoulder stubbornly, growling at him. I got up, making his claws accidently slice into the fabric of my hoodie. Up on my feet, I looked past my shoulder and down on my back. Seeing a little bit of the tear, I sighed, "Whatever, I need to find a new one anyway."

The Marine sighed and stood up, "What got into you all of a sudden?"

"Vincent, can you see it? The little hints you're constantly dropping? Ever since I was revived, you've been like a love-struck puppy, bright eyed and tail-wagging!"

"You wanna know why?" The chimera vanished from sight, and suddenly appeared directly in front of me, pinning my body against a tree by my shoulders. "Goddamnit, I love you!"

Before I can retort, his lips roughly caught mine in a passionate, nerve-numbing kiss. Everything in the past few seconds was nothing but warm, soft bliss. Our lips meshed perfectly in a sweet harmony of love and determination. But…we've kissed before. How is this one any different?

Suddenly, a swamp Hunter pounced Spectre off me, making the two wrestle in a battle of deadly claws. I slid down the tree trunk as if that kiss absorbed the last ounce of energy in me. Watching the animal-instinct battle in front of me, Spectre snarled and snapped the Hunter's neck with a sharp twist. "Fucker," he muttered as he looked at his back. The Hunter's claws literally tore his jacket to shreds. With a dreadful sigh, he removed his jacket, "My Marine coat…of course. And my father's Assault Rifle strap. Damnit."

As he removed it, his torso was bare underneath it. I couldn't help but blush, "I thought you had a shirt under it."

"I did…but too many attacks left me shirtless."

Since he was now flashing off his bare skin, I checked out his ink: a very long black, spiny body that spiraled around his whole torso and into his pants. It started on his right hand, spiraled up his arm and over his right shoulder. I couldn't help myself; I had to sit on my claws to prevent them from twitching.

He looked down at his inked body and smirked, "You checking it out?"

"Maybe. Where does it stop?" I asked.

"The dragon?"

I blinked, "Wait…it's a dragon?" Having a dragon tattoo of my own, I was suddenly very excited.

He smiled as he walked over to me and offered his right claw, "Yeah."

Taking his claw, I gently twisted it to see the top of his hand. Sure enough it was a dragon's head. It had straight horns and two long whiskers that came off its snout. It did have two half-circle eyes that were inked red.

"Oh wow. I love dragon ink. I've got one on my back," I stated, as my vacant claw twitched, wanting to run along the long, black body, all the way around his flesh.

"Oh, is that so?" he purred as he pulled me onto my feet.

I nodded, and then looked away from him. Why did he make me suddenly so…shy and nervous?

Thunder grew louder, alerting us of the danger of rain. Rain and swamps don't mix…especially being so close to a river.

"Come on. We need to take shelter before it starts to rain," Spectre stated.

I nodded as I pulled my claw out of his grip, "Ok. Then let's go before we get rained on."

We continued uphill on the west side of the river. Surprisingly quiet; neither us nor other zombies could be heard. Expect for the thunder.

As we walked up higher ground, I had to look at him. His torso was so taut and fit, even for a man pushing his 50s. Did the blend of his DNA with the chimera's halt or slow the aging process of his body? Or does he just age very well? I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks when sexy and very lustful thoughts instinctively flashed through my mind about him. I blinked and literally shook them out.

Spectre saw this and smiled, "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Oh, come on, Chris. I know you better than that."

I rolled my eyes, "It's nothing."

"Not used to seeing me with no jacket on?" he purred.

I scoffed, my hood hiding my blush, "You wish."

"I see your claws twitching~"

"Fuck off," I growled as I stuffed them into my pockets.

Spectre smiled lustfully, "I wonder what you were doing in your mind?"

"Nothing I bet you haven't seen before, pretty boy."

He blushed with a chuckle, "Oh, you'll be amazed at what I haven't seen."

"I don't want to know."

This banter quickly stopped when we came across a statehouse on top of the hill. We quickly picked up the pace to our resting spot from the upcoming storm. As we came up onto the big, white front porch, it already began to rain. Spectre walked to the door and sighed lightly, seeing it was unlocked. "Good. I didn't feel like knocking it down."

"Watch yourself. Survivors could be inside," I warned.

He frowned and nodded as he took the Assault Rifle into his claws and slowly advanced inside. Unsheathing my Magnum, I slowly followed in inside. We stepped into the foyer of what seemed to be a pretty big house. I whispered, "This place is pretty big."

"It must be a plantation house," he whispered back as he softly and slowly advanced to the doorway into the living room. Laying his back flat against the wall, I copied his actions on the other side of the doorway. "Go. I'll cover you."

I nodded as I peeked into the living room and cautiously strafed inside. Spectre was quick to lean against the doorframe, his rifle at the ready. I shivered a bit and asked without looking back, "Is the safety off?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I just feel uneasy with you covering my back with that thing ready to fire."

"Chris, relax. You can trust me, can't you?"

I sighed and softly nodded, trending lightly with my Magnum in my claws. Scanning the dark room, I very softly whimpered like a puppy, stayed quiet and listened for the echoes in the room. No one (other than me) was in the living room.

I expanded my claw in the air, a signal to Spectre that it was safe to advance. He nodded and whispered with a soft smirk on his mug, "Not bad for someone that's not trained."

I shrugged, "Who said I wasn't?" I was at ease when the living room was clear. I walked around it, still with light footsteps, but I knew I was safe. Seeing the fireplace on the far wall, I walked over to it, while Spectre walked over to the china cabinet. I took a picture off the mantle and whistled, "This is the Mayor's house."

"How do you know?" the chimera asked.

I gave him a deadpan look. "Because the guy in the picture and every other picture is of him. He's wearing a 'Mayor' sash."

"Oh…oops," he flashed a sheepish smile.

I rolled my eyes and clicked my tongue, "Check it. His little girl is prom queen~ Aww, how sweet!~"

"Jealous?" he chuckled, sensing the sarcasm in my voice.

I scoffed, "You wish. This guy is probably oblivious that his sweet little daughter is most likely a slut. She looks the type."

Spectre joined my side and looked over my shoulder at the picture in my hand. He whistled and stated, "Not bad…for jail bait."

"Pervert…" I growled. I placed the picture back on the mantle and walked away from the chimera.

"Not a 'pervert'. I'm more of a chick-magnet."

"Odd. Abby, Chloe, and I don't seem to be attracted to you." Although, just mentioning her name, the memory of Chloe made me frown.

However, he didn't snap. He saw my frown for our fallen friend and frowned as well. Walking up from behind, he wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on top of my head. I stiffened at first, but feeling his warm body around mine so soft and calm, I couldn't help it but to relax and sigh gently. "I miss her too."

"Let's not talk about it…" I whispered.

He gently nodded and held me tightly, "Ok."

I wiggled a bit and asked, "What exactly are you doing?"

"Giving you a hug. You're upset."

"I don't really need it…" I sighed, my body tensening up again.

"You're so stressed. Plus, I've noticed you constantly keep your emotions inside…unless you're around me."

I scoffed, "I do not."

"Remember in Miami? When you gave your family a proper funeral?"

I sighed, "What about it?"

"You broke down into my arms," he gently stated.

"I…fuck, yeah, I did."

He sighed and kissed the top of my head, "It's ok, you know. To be upset. You still have me to cry against."

"Right now, I can't afford to be upset. We need to keep exploring the house."

Pulling out of his arms, his claw grabbed my wrist, twirled me around and he pulled me in for another kiss. However, this kiss was sparky and sweet, unlike the one he gave me when he pinned me against the tree, where it was rough with passion and blissful. Why is he constantly kissing me? Then I remember what he said: "Goddamnit, I love you!"

My heart skipped a bit just having this battle-hard, yet sweet and protective Marine love me. That actually answers a lot of questions that racked my brain. But now a new problem rose from this confession: do I love him back or is my heart still not able to let go of Nick?

Stuck in my own thoughts, I didn't notice him break off the kiss and just stared at me for a few seconds, wondering if I was just dazed or…not even interested. "Chris?"

I jumped back to reality and asked on reflex, "He was knocked out when I got here, huh?"

Spectre burst out laughing as he pulled me into another hug, this one sweet and loving. "You're one crazy woman, Christina."

"Ya don't say?" I quipped.

The chimera purred gently and asked, "Can I admit something?"

"Shoot."

"I've loved you since I kissed you on the forehead in front of the Whisperin' Oaks' entrance," he sighed happily.

"But…why? I'm nothing more than a female con artist with a poor sense in decent men."

He frowned and sighed, "Admittingly…Nick is a decent man. So, your sense in men isn't that terrible."

"Thanks, Vincent."

Hearing his name made his heart leap. With a small purr, he whispered, "You're strong, determined, funny, fun, focused on the safety of others, and very beautiful, Christina."

I couldn't help but blush as I wiggled out of his arms (being extra careful of his claw this time) and continuing to explore the house. My heart began to pound in my chest as it became very indecisive. Nick or Vincent? The con artist or the Marine? Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty?

I shook my head of all thoughts as I walked up the stairs that started at the front door. Spectre poofed in front of me and quipped, "Too slow~"

"Evil trigger-happy nutjob," I muttered. I walked into a bedroom with a huge bed in the center…with hanging man right above it. I was taken aback by the strange and repulsive sight. "Whoa…"

Spectre looked up and sighed at the body, "Just hang in there."

"Good. This will be your room," I gave a toothy grin as I walked out.

"Hey!" he called out, "No fair!"

I walked into the daughter's room and looked around. It looked like a regular teenaged girl's room. A dresser and makeup desk on one side of the room, a closet with the door closed, and a full-sized canopy bed on the other side. "Hmm…looks can be deceiving."

Spectre walked in and hopped onto the bed, stretching his big bulk on top. Placing his claws behind his head, he turned his head to me and smiled, "This bed is big enough for both of us~"

"Not even the stage could support your big bulky body and me," I stated to arouse rage out of him.

He only rolled his eyes and stated, "Admit that I was snuggle-y."

"If I ignore the back pain, then yes," I cracked my back to emphasize my point.

I walked past the bed and towards the closet door. Spectre turned his head again to watch me. I opened the door and blinked, "There's a ladder in here."

"A what?"

"A ladder." I repeated as I began to climb up. It led to the attic, so I sat up on edge and felt around for a light switch. Feeling Spectre's bulky frame brush my leg, I asked, "I thought you were going to rest on that bed."

"Nah." He smiled. "Hmm. Where's the light?"

"That's what I'm trying to- found it!"

As soon as the light turned on, our eyes widened and our jaws dropped. The light destroyed the darkness, but revealed an even more disturbing sight.

The attic was turned into a horndog's paradise.

The walls were covered in bright colored fur. In the corner was a huge stereo with speakers on every wall. In the middle was a huge fleece bed with chains sticking out from underneath. Along the wall were toys, whips, and movies. The stereo kicked in when the lights turned on and softly began to play 'You Sexy Thing' from the Full Monty soundtrack.

Spectre and I just looked around, our faces red with very raunchy thoughts. The chimera got up and scanned the room. "Oh boy. Old sexual memories coming back."

I gulped, "I don't want to know."

"Are you sure? They're pretty kinky," he purred at me with a lustful smile.

I shivered, "No, I'm sure." I got into the attic and looked around as well, doing my best to stay away from the horny Marine.

However, he ignored me and began to talk, "Ever had hot candle wax on ya?"

"No."

"It's pretty kinky. So hot and soothing on the skin and as if hardens, your skin is so smooth underneath."

I blinked and my face turned pink as images of Spectre pouring hot wax on my body. "No more stories."

"Are you sure? Ever used bondage?"

I shivered as more images flashed into my mind. "Oh God no. Vincent, stop ok?"

He turned to me and smiled gently. "Christina…I love you. I truly do."

I turned to him and asked, "Why?"

"Why not?' he asked as he walked over to me and gently pulling me into his arms. "You're amazing."

I blushed and looked down, "Vincent…"

"Shh," he gently shushed me as he lifted my chin back up. "You are amazing. Nothing will change that. I truly, deeply, love you." Before I got a chance to talk, he leaned down and kissed me. His lips were so warm and soft, but they were roaring with passion and tenderness that he's been without for years. My heart was pounding hard against my sternum as my nerves buzzed with his loving kiss. My breath slowly hitched from his arousal as it brushed against my thigh. He chuckled against my lips and gently separated, "Sorry, my dear."

"No…" I gently gripped his arms to keep him from moving away, "It's ok."

"Are you sure?" he whispered as he pressed me into his body.

My whole body shivered gently, while I let out a shaky breath. Resting my head against his chest, I softly nodded, "Yeah. I'm sure."

He smiled gently as his grip around my waist got tighter, but tenderer. He began to kiss my head and neck gently, making my own grip on him to tighten and my breath to get shallow with lust. Why did my body fall for his kisses? And, even worse, why do I want more?

Spectre gently hummed against my hair and then gasped sharply as he felt my lips gently planting light kisses on his bare chest. He looked down at me with a growing blush in his cheeks. "Chris?"

"Shut up and let me have you for the night," I purred softly as my claws gently ran up his arms.

He whimpered softly as he nodded. The chimera watched me gently pull away from him and smile at his taut body. My claws gently ran along the dragon's body, making him groan softly. I smirked at his noises and gently bit down on the tattooed nipple. He hissed through his teeth as his muscles constricted with building pleasure. "Oh, God…"

I purred softly as I licked the nipple, "You like?"

He whimpered and nodded his head shakily. "I want you…so bad…"

"For once…I won't stop you," I whispered into his ear. I was just as sexually buzzed as he was so, hell with it. My claws ran along the dragon's body, while I walked around him. He moaned, throwing his head back, but snapped back when I stopped at his belt. "Take me, Vincent."

His ears rung from my request, but he didn't complain. Scooping me up into his arms around, he began kissing me roughly and feverishly. I began to kiss him back, feeling my heart soar for him. His claws explored my whole body, making me moan against his lips. His teeth gently nibbled my lower lip, wanting me to part my lips. I whimpered as I did open my mouth for him. He groaned deeply as his tongue slipped into my mouth, our bodies hot and pressed hard together.

Spectre pulled me towards the bed and lay back with me on top of him. I couldn't help myself; I began to run my claws through his shaggy black hair. He moaned softly as his own claws gripped the fleece over his head. Removing my wrecked hoodie and throwing it to the side, my dirty and bloody t-shirt was too wrecked to be called a shirt. Spectre purred gently, "Let me."

He pulled me up and only breaking the kiss for a few seconds to remove my shirt. Gazing at my scarred torso, he only made him hornier. However, my witch scratches made him gently trace them with his own witch claws. "What happened, love?"

I sighed and rested my forehead against his, "I took a witch for Nick about a month ago. I bled out from it. I thought I told you."

He blinked and kissed the tip of my nose, "I didn't know it was that bad."

"I'm alive now, aren't I?"

He smiled sweetly, "That's true."

I smiled back at him as he held me close and began to kiss my neck and collar. I moaned softly, my skin trembling from his soft lips. My claws grabbed his shoulders and purred pleasurably into his ear. He purred back and gave my tender spot on my neck a sharp nip.

I gasped loudly and literally melted against him.

He chuckled and whispered, "You like?"

"Very much," I whispered back.

"Good. We're going to have fun tonight. I'm going to make you scream my name.~"

**Alex:** Can I look now?

**Ro:** Yes. Nothing really happened.

**Alex:** Not yet, it seems.

**Ro:** Our author decided to stop here so she can give a proper warning.

**Alex:** A warning? Oh come on! There are no warnings in real life!

**Ro:** This is a story, a fan fiction, not real life.

**Alex:** Spectre belongs to Awkward Headshot! And get ready for a very good lemon ahead!


	19. Chapter 19Nope a Warning!

WARNING! LEMON AHEAD!

If you want to read, go right ahead!

If not, wait until chapter 21 of the story…which won't be out for a while. Sorry.

You have been warned! You have no right to bitch or complain if you ignored this!


	20. Chapter 20

Star Hunter

Chapter 20: Just the Two of Us

**LAST WARNING! THIS IS A LEMON BASED CHAPTER! IF YOU DON'T WANT, DON'T READ! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

Tonight, Vincent 'Spectre' Overbeck is going to be screaming my name with ecstasy.

The sharp nip on my neck not only made me melt, but it made my sex drive kick in tenfold. With a lustful spark in my eyes, I reached over to the side where I tossed my torn-up hoodie and sit up. He looked up at me and sat up as well, pulling me into another kiss. However, that's not all that he did; his right hand pressed on the small of my back, forcing me into his hard thighs. We both moaned loudly as my left hand clawed the back of his neck, my right hand gripping his pant leg with my hoodie sleeve in its grip as well.

Breaking away, I smirked as I got up out of his lap. He gave me a fake pout as he watched me with pale blue eyes. "Hmm. Remember when you asked me if I tried bondage before?"

"Yeah."

"Well," I took the hoodie and tore the sleeves off at the seams of the shoulders, "I've never ever tried it. However, I have had my fair share of moments where I had to tie someone up. So," I turned to him with the two sleeves, "Let me try something."

He nodded and just let me straddle his lap again. I used one sleeve to tie his wrists together, while using the other sleeve to circle around his neck and be tied to this bonded wrists, which hung at his chest, just below his collarbone. He blushed heavily as I tightened them and chuckled, "Not bad. Make sure whose knots are tight. If they're loose," he grinned evilly, "I'll have to show you how to tie tighter ones.~"

I gulped and then stated with a blush, "Oh, I'm pretty sure they're tight enough." Standing back up again, I looked down at his cargo pants. I smirked as I reached down and grabbed his belt. He gasped a bit as he got a bit harder, his face red. Undoing his belt and unbuttoning his fly, I blushed as well as I unzipped him. His member nearly sprang out it was so tight inside his pants. Putting it free, I blushed as I stared at the massive organ. I felt it twitch, making me blush.

Spectre smiled sheepishly, "Whoops. I have no control over it sometimes."

"It's ok." My hand began to slowly stroke it. He blushed more as he smiled a bit, watching my hand stroke his eject meat. Feeling his hard organ in my grip made me blush as well. Slowly pumping my hand on it, I purred, "You like?"

He nodded shakily, "Very~"

"Good," I giggled as my hand slid a little faster. He whimpered softly as his hips began to buck up into my hand. "Ooh, you want harder?"

He gritted his teeth and whimpered, "Oh, I want much more than that."

"Not yet~ First, I need to have my fun," I grinned sadistically. Pushing him down on the bed, I took one of the chains that was connected from under the bed (kinky little slut, I thought) and draped it across the top of his chest between where his hands hung from his bonds and his neck. It was tight enough not to crush him, but tight enough to keep him in place. He wiggled a bit, but he didn't break free. "Comfy?" I giggled.

He smirked, "Are you sure you've never done bondage before?"

"I'm pretty damn sure!" I laughed as I leaned down at kiss him. He moaned gently as he kissed back feverishly, obviously horny for more.

"You're driving me mad. You know that right?"

"I know. And this will maybe push you over the edge~" I leaned back and focused my action on his hard cock again. With a smirk, I began to jack him off with my left hand, but he whimpered and bit his lower lip when he saw my right hand slip down under my jean line and fingered myself. With a single moan from me, he whimpered and wiggled. As my bud was rubbed, I gasped and exhaled deeply as I kept going.

Spectre wiggled more, his rock-hard tool twitching with some real fun. "You're killing me, love. You're killing me!"

I smirked, "What a way to-" I gasped again, hitting a good place.

Spectre smirked, his claws easily pulling lose from his restraints. Quietly unclipping the chain that kept him down, he sat up and grabbed my waist with his left arm, while his right claw grabbed my crotch. I gasped as he purred into my ear lustfully, "I told you to make them tight~"

"Oh God. How did you…" I began to ask, but as soon as his lips caught mine, words died in the air as I moaned gently.

Gently parting away, he smirked, "Let me show you how to truly tighten wrists together." Spinning around and pinning me onto the bed, he took the sleeves and properly tied them. I yelped on how immobile I felt. They weren't too tight to cut off circulation, but they were tight enough to prevent me from pulling them apart. Holding my left arm down onto the bed, he straddled my left leg as his right claw crawled down my body and into my jeans.

I gasped as soon as I felt his claw gently rubbed my bud, "Oh God…"

"My time to have some fun, my love~" he purred as he leaned down to kiss me. My gasps and moans were muffled by his lips as his claw toyed with my pussy. I felt his member rub against my leg, making him whimper as it twitched. His lips travelled down my jawline, softly purring, "You're very wet, my darling~"

"I can only imagine why," I whimpered softly as I wiggled my hips against his claws. He smirked as he rubbed me a little faster, making me gasp. "Cum for me."

"Ah! Why should I?" I gasped, gritting my teeth. "That's what you want."

"That's what you want, Chris. You want to reach your climax and explode with pleasure and bliss~"

"Ahh! Fuck!" I gasped as I arched my back, creaming against his claws.

Spectre pulled his claw back and licked them clean from my juices. With a grin, he cooed as he kissed my collarbone, "That's my girl~"

I couldn't help but blush when he said that. "I'm your girl?"

"Yeah. I want you. More than anything in this world," he smiled sweetly, his words speaking the truth. Releasing me from my restraints, he began to undo my jean button and zipper. I watched him, but I didn't do anything to stop him. I wanted this as well. He grabbed my jeans legs and yanked them off onto the floor, eyeing my wet panties. He smirked as he pulled them off with his teeth, revealing my pussy to him. He gazed at it and he winced a bit as his own member twitching wanting to slide inside so badly. I sat up, but he gently made me stop moving, "Hold on, love. I want to eat you."

I blushed more and nodded, "I won't move."

He nodded as he spread my right leg, giving him better access to my leaking pussy. Spectre got down on his elbows and asked, "Promise you won't move so much?"

I gulped, "I'll do my best."

"Good," he purred as his tongue gently licked up my wet lips, making me moan. Resting his right claw on my hip, his eyelids drooped as he moaned himself, entranced by the taste. His breath hitched as he began to lick more, his left claw slightly twitching. I threw my head back and then looked back down at him, gently grabbing a fistful of his black hair. He grunted in a lustful fashion, almost loving the roughness.

Finally, he took two claws and very gently slid them inside. I gasped and my legs struggled to keep apart for him. I began to cream again, making him moan and grunt as his tongue lapped up my fluids greedily. "Oh, God! Vincent!" I gasped loudly as I came hard onto his tongue and claws.

As he licked my pussy clean, he smiled and purred, "I did it. I made you say my name."

"Yeah, but I didn't scream it."

"Very true. But we do have all night to try~" he cooed as he got up and planted a sweet kiss on my lips, wanting me to taste myself on his lips. Forcing his tongue into my mouth, I whimpered softly as I was able to taste my salty juices on it.

Pulling me into his hard lap, he grimaced as my pussy brushed over his cock. "Are you ok?" I asked as I pulled away a bit.

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah. I'm just so hard and you being so beautiful and sexy, it's very hard to control it."

I blushed and giggled, "Why do you flatter me?"

"Because every amazing woman needs to be flattered from time to time," Spectre purred as he kissed me again quickly. Pulling back, he blinked as he noticed my grey sports bra. "How come I haven't removed this yet?"

I giggled and blushed, "I don't know."

"Well, I need to change that." Using his claws to keep me in place on his lap, he grabbed the bra with his teeth gently. Using only his head and neck, he pulled the bra up over my breasts and stopped at my collarbone. "I hate sports bras," he muttered with his teeth still clamped to it.

I giggled, "Why?"

"Because they're so hard to get off," he looked up at me with colored cheeks and crystal blue eyes.

"Well, I didn't expect to get laid in this hellhole," I kissed the bridge of his nose. "Were you?"

He smiled sweetly, "No. But I'm glad I found you."

Taking my bra and pulling it over my head and onto the floor, I blushed, "I'm glad I found you too, Vincent."

He beamed as he kissed me again, softly and lovingly. I kissed him back and purred softly. Spectre moaned gently and whispered, "I want you…please, fuck me."

I exhaled softly, "Ok, Vincent. Just don't cum inside me, ok?"

"I…wasn't planning on it," he blushed.

"You were, weren't you?"

"No…"

"Vincent."

"Ok, it did cross my mind," he softly sighed.

I rolled my eyes and kissed him. "Just fuck me, ok?"

He blushed, "Ok, love~" Leaning me back onto the bed, he purred softly and removed his cargo pants completely. Stark naked now, I blushed as I saw how far his dragon tattoo went; it stopped on his left ankle.

"Damn, that must've hurt, getting that tattoo all the way down your body like that."

He stopped his advance for a second and looked down at his body. "Oh. It wasn't that bad. Some parts were more painful than others. Plus, it's only two colors: black and red for the eyes. Colored tattoos are very painful."

I shrugged, "My star wasn't that bad."

"Hey didn't you say you had another one?" he asked.

I sat up and turned my back to him, revealing my tribal dragon that was on my left shoulder blade. He smiled and gently touched it, "That's cool."

"Not as cool as yours," I giggled.

He leaned forward and kissed it gently. "It's still cool."

"Thanks," I smiled as I leaned back into him.

He wrapped his arms around me and purred, "I love you."

"I know, Vincent…" I felt bad for saying something so cold to him. I mean, the guy's in love with me, and all I can say is 'I know'? I'm not as heartless as Han Solo here!

"Just for once, Chris, just pretend Nick doesn't exist."

Oh, damn, he found out the reason…

"In here, there's no apocalypse. No death. No zombies. No Infection. No war. Just us. And if I die tomorrow, then I want to go out thinking of this night. Please."

I looked up over my shoulder at him and smiled, "I love you, Vincent."

His eyes lit up as his heart [would've] skipped. With a kiss that could've melted the polar ice caps, he whispered, "I would die for you, Christina."

"You…you would?" I whispered softly, my own heart skipping.

"Yes."

I wanted to cry; no one (aside from Nick, but I'm pretending he doesn't exist) would even do that for me. And since I know Spectre's true to his word, it made me feel so loved and secure. He would give his life to protect me. That's either very strong conradry or true love.

I kissed him deeply, making him moan loudly. He kissed back just as deeply, not wanting this night to see light. So, he had to make this a night both of us will not forget.

Taking the sleeves again, he wrapped one around my eyes, blinding me. "H-hey!" I broke the kiss to yelp.

"Shh," he cooed, kissing my jawline, "It's ok. I want to try something, ok? Trust me?"

"Y-yes, I trust you," I whispered.

He smiled and purred, "Good." Taking the other sleeve, he gently took my arms and crossed them parallel to my back. Tying them like that, he kissed my cheek gently and stated, "Too tight?"

"No."

"Ok, my love." Pulling me into his lap, I felt his member seconds away from impaling me. With my back against his chest, he whispered, "I'll go slowly, ok?"

"Just…fuck me, Vincent…" I gasped, not sure if I can contain myself much longer.

He nodded as he maneuvered himself inside. I gasped and he released a long moan, exhaling sharply, "Oh, my God…"

"Ooh…Vincent…" I whimpered.

"So tight," he whimpered as his member sank inside deeper.

I gasped softly, "So big."

He grinned, "That's 8.75" of meat, love~"

"Oh, my~" I groaned as his member filled me.

When he was filled to the hilt, he groaned softly and purred gently, "Oh God, Chris. You feel so good…"

I whimpered gently, my walls tightening around his tool. He moaned, just feeling his fleshy organ being embraced by my warm wet tunnel. He breathed against my earlobe as he slowly pulled out. Just before the tip, he stopped and slid back in. Moaning loudly, he exhaled sharply, loving the feeling.

I moaned loudly, his hard meat slipping into me and filling me completely with his firm tool. He felt so good inside, as if he belonged there. However, despite not having sex for five years, I wanted to go faster and harder. "Vincent…faster…"

"Ok," he purred as he groped my breasts gently with his claws as he thrusts got a little faster. I moaned gently, loving the sensation of his member rubbing against my walls. I whimpered pleasurably, giving him the unspoken message of 'I'm loving this.'

He smirked as he got a bit rougher, making me gasp with bliss. "Oh yes!"

He grunted as well, "Oh, fuck!" Unable to keep such a slow pace, he got faster as well, wanting to reach his climax as well as please me. But with my sounds and touch, it drove him mad with sexual desire.

I whimpered with every thrust, but as soon as I felt his tip hit my G-spot, I gasped loudly as my walls tightened more. He grunted and he closed his eyes as he kept going, knowing he hit his target. He began to gently to kiss my earlobe, adding more to the arousal as I moaned loudly. Both of us began to feel hot and sweaty from the sex, but we weren't stopping until we came.

Which was much quicker than we thought.

As his tip continued to plow into my spot, I shouted, "I'm going to cum!"

In his last few moments of strength and energy, he roared as his head veered back, "AAHH! CHRISTINA!"

"VINCENT!" I screamed as I came all over his cock.

He was milliseconds away from cumming, pulling out just in time. His seed spurt out across my belly and down his member. He held me close, panting like crazy, as if he gave birth! Hell, I was too. Breathing hard and heavy, I couldn't help but lean back into him, his chest slowly moving in and out as he heavily inhaled and exhaled.

Unable to sit up any longer, Spectre leaned back, taking me with him. Crashing on the bed, I rolled onto my belly beside him. Still blindfolded and bonded, I whimpered, "Can…you…free…me?"

He chuckled weakly as he used his claws to slice my arms free. "That's…all…you…can…say…after…that?"

Removing my blind fold, I rolled onto my side and giggled tiredly, "No…"

Spectre turned his head to face me and smiled weakly. "That…was…amazing…"

"More…like…epic…outstanding…uber…" I listed off with a giggle.

He reached over and gently cupped a cheek with his claw, "Well…you certainly…enjoyed it."

I blushed and smiled lovingly as I placed a claw over his, "Yes…I did…enjoy it."

"Good. Chris…I love…you so…much…" he smiled romantically at me.

"I love…you too…Vincent…"

Using his claws, he pulled me closer to his body as we shared a final kiss before we passed out for the night. I curled up in his torso and purred, "Goodnight."

Pulling the fleece cover over us, he whispered into my ear as he lovingly tucked a strand of hair behind it, "Goodnight, my Chris…"

As I fell asleep, cuddled up against Spectre, he smiled and held me close, but he didn't fall asleep right away. He had a few things on his mind. He was eternally happy that he was able to make love with the one woman that he's in love with. Spectre wanted to give me his heart and his love. He was speaking the truth from the get go: he loves me and he would die to protect me. If I chose him, he would be the happiest man in the whole fuckin' world.

But, I was in love with someone else.

It pained him to see me loving another man, especially a man like Nick. Sure, even he admitted he was a decent man, but he didn't see what I saw in him. He felt that he was a much better match for me. Strong, loyal, loving, caring, protective, etc. Oh well, maybe as time goes on, I will see him as my ideal man and will say 'I love you' for real.

**Chris:** Oh wow.

**Spectre:** That was awesome.

**Chris:** You would say that.

**Spectre:** What? You liked it too.

**Chris:** True. Anyway, if you've been scarred or horrified in any way from reading this chapter, our author did warn you and you read it on your own risk!

**Spectre:** That's right. There's no one here to blame but yourself.

**Chris:** The next chapter will include nudity, but nothing too graphic.

**Spectre:** Aww…anyway, I'm Awkward Headshot's creation.

**Chris:** If by any chance you were moved by this chapter's underlying romantic motive, please vote for the pairing.

**Spectre:** Oh yes, please do!


	21. Chapter 21

_**The Star Hunter**_

_**Chapter 21: Dangerous Steps**_

As odd as it seemed, Spectre barely likes to sleep. Maybe it was his constant military training, past nightmares, or the fact he doesn't tire easily. However a short couple hours of sleep was all he needed after the hot night he had. Closing his eyes a bit and breathing silently, he could barely remember the last time he felt so relaxed. Looking over at me, snuggling beside his inked body, he smiled lovingly and gently kissed my temple. Knowing I was still sleeping, he didn't make any moves to get up. Instead, he shifted his body a little so he could gently cuddle with my sleeping form until I woke up.

_~ I yawned as I walked into the intersection of Rayford. It was just turning dusk, the ground suddenly thick with fog. "Seriously. Of all places to summon up to."_

_Bill emerged out of the fog and lit up. "Well, sorry taking my ashes was too much of a hassle."_

"_Bill, I had other things to do." Stretching my back, it popped under the pressure. I relaxed with a loud groan and then blushed, remembering what I did before I entered this dream. "Oh, my. I can already feel the pain in my thighs."_

"_Too much information, Chris," Bill shivered. "I don't need to know how powerful my son is in bed."_

_I blushed harder, "Yeah…"_

_Suddenly, I was tackled by a smaller annuity, making me yelp and crashed onto the asphalt road. "CHRIS!"_

_I groaned and looked over my shoulder. My eyes lit up when they caught my best witch friend: Chloe. "Oh, my God! Chloe!"_

_She beamed, "The one and only!"_

"_Are you an angel?"_

"_Yes, I am, Anakin~" she quipped._

_Bill chuckled at the joke and watched as I struggled to stand up. Chloe got off my back and smiled, "I'm glad to see you're in one piece!"_

"_I wish I could say the same to you, Chlo…" I frowned. "I shouldn't have told you to go into the woods. I'm so sorry."_

_Chloe gripped my shoulder and smiled assuring, "Chris, it wasn't your fault. We were preparing for a battle. We are Infected after all."_

_I looked at Chloe up and down and noticed how much she looked like a Witch, but human. She was still wiry, but full of energy. Instead of pale blonde hair and red eyes, she had strawberry-blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She gained a lot more color into her skin as well, no longer being as pale as a sheet, and she had regular fingers, not long bloody claws. However, she was in the same outfit she was killed in: blue shorts and a black tank top._

_I smiled, "Damn, you look pretty damn good before you were infected."_

_Chloe smirked, "Bi much, honey?"_

_I blushed, "No, no. I'm pretty straight."_

"_Oh, indeed~" she smiled ear to ear._

"_Oh my. Did you see…" my face flushed._

"_Oh, yeah. I did.~" She giggled like a Jockey, which startled her into giggling more._

_I laughed, "I think you've been hanging with Detour too much."_

"_Detour…" her normal smile disappeared into a frown. "I already miss him."_

_I blinked and asked, "Did you have something with him?"_

"_No, but sometimes, it felt like we did," she hugged her torso._

_I frowned, "I'm sorry."_

"_I ran into Rambo."_

_My blood froze. "You did…?"_

"_Indeed," he growled behind me. I stiffened as I turned around and saw the big man. "I knew you were against us from the beginning."_

"_Quite right," another male voice emerged from the fog behind Bill. He emerged and I gasped to see Brawn. "Well, Chris, thanks to your little run, that's three of us in one night. I hope you're happy."_

"_HEY!" I snarled, "One, I didn't want to kill you two. Rambo, you were going to pound me into a pancake if Spectre…Vincent…didn't stop you. Plus, you talking shit only pissed me off more and ended your life. And, you Brawn! Yes, I will admit I was out of the group at this point, but you call me a traitor for killing you out of defense! And I didn't kill Chloe! I didn't want her to die!"_

_The former Specials looked down. Rambo sighed, "I will admit this; my kill was a mercy killing. I was in agony. That chimera literally left me for dead."_

_Brawn did agree, "You were mangled, my friend."_

"_And, besides, I'm back to my former human self again. No cure. I just had to die."_

"_Yes, I do love not being a rejected humanoid Godzilla," Brawn nodded. "But, I'd love to play hockey again."_

_I blinked, "You a hockey player?"_

_He nodded, "Professional too. I was a goalie."_

"_That's pretty cool, Brawn."_

"_My real name is Fil Chapin. F-I-L."_

"_Fil? I didn't know it could be spelt that way," Chloe tilted her head to the side._

_He laughed, "Neither did I!"_

_I turned to Rambo and asked, "What's your name? Your real one?"_

_He sighed, "It's Seth Sawyer. I was a history professor at the same school Salt Lick taught at."_

"_Salt Lick's a teacher?!" both Chloe and I jaw-dropped._

"_Yeah. Not a good one, but a teacher regardless."_

_Bill decided to butt in. "That's a nice reunion and all, but Chris and I have some business. Come on, young lady."_

"_Young lady? Come on, Bill."_

"_Careful. You may be talking to your late father-in-law," he grinned with the fag in his teeth._

_Chloe giggled madly, while I blushed heavily and walked forward, "Yes, sir."_

_The veteran chuckled as we walked away from the group. "I recall something you were going to do something if you lost the bet."_

_I was more lost than a Southern tourist in Boston. "Huh? What bet?"_

"_The bet regarding my son being alive."_

"_Oh yeah! When we were attacked by the first Haggard in Savannah. I remember now. That was a while ago." Funny how things progress in my mind; it was only three weeks ago when I even met Spectre on the way to Rayford. "What was I supposed to do again?"_

_Bill facepalmed, "You were supposed to admit that you care for my son."_

"_Oh, right. Ok, yes. I do care for Vincent. I care deeply for him."_

_Bill smiled, "I knew it. It's just so sweet when you say it yourself."_

"_Shut up…" I blushed as the fog swirled around us. ~_

I softly moaned as my body began to softly ache. Despite not being a virgin, I felt sore and weak. I stirred a bit, making Spectre look down at me, seeing that I'm about to wake up. "Morning, my love," he softly purred as he kissed my forehead, seeing I wasn't awake fully yet.

"Morning," I yawned softly as I opened my pale green eyes. Letting my eyes adjust to the pink and purple lights, I looked up at him and smiled.

He smiled back and asked, "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"Yep," I purred as I snuggled into his strong body again. I felt like I belonged in his arms. Snuggling into his fit body, I muttered, "What about you?"

"Pretty well, actually," he smiled as he kissed my head.

I blushed and smiled softly, "Do you like kissing me?"

"Of course I do."

I gently sat up out of his arms and he followed. Stretching my arms and back, the fleece blanket fell off my body, flashing my breasts. Spectre smiled and pulled me into his covered lap, "I wish I could wake up to you every day for the rest of my life."

I frowned on the inside. Last night was amazing for both of us, but it makes me feel guilty for a few things. First on is obviously Spectre. It wasn't fair to him that we had intercourse. He loves me, but I'm still debating on if I love him or not. Second was Nick. He loves me and I love him, but that feeling has gotten softer and softer as the days went by. I don't know what to do.

"Vincent…"

He frowned, "I know you're conflicted, Chris. And, I'm sorry, but I will act lovingly to you." Spectre gently nuzzled my neck, "I love you and nothing will change that, Chris."

I nodded softly; at least I had him. But, even that fact made my stomach twist uncomfortably. Why should he suffer with empty love? He deserves much better than that.

"I need to shower," I stated softly.

He hummed, "Mmm, me too."

I chuckled, "Nothing sexy, ok?"

He pouted, "Awww, why not?"

"Because I can barely feel my thighs as it is."

He chuckled and kissed me gently, but sweetly on the lips. I couldn't help my claws going through his lush hair. He moaned gently as he pulled away, "I promise I'll be gentle~"

I giggled and rested my forehead against his. "No~ I'll shower alone."

"Aww, you tease. Ok. I'll check out the kitchen and see what we can have to eat."

"Yeah, check if there are brains in the fridge," I quipped as I got up.

He chuckled softly as he got up and climbed down the ladder and back into the girl's room, stark naked.

I rolled my eyes and sighed as I climbed down to find a bathroom. "The least he can do is put his pants back on." Walking out into the hall, I found the bathroom and then I heard a yelp, "Damn! That's cold!"

I opened the door, and sure enough, there was Spectre toying with the shower. "Vincent! I thought you were going to check out the kitchen?"

"I was, until I found the shower," he grinned. "I won't do anything, I promise."

I sighed with defeat, "Ok. Is there hot water?"

He splashed his claw a bit in the water and smiled, "It's warming up now."

"Ok, good. Hmm. I thought the water, electricity and the heating would be turned off by now."

Spectre shrugged, "Maybe not. This could be a solar-powered house; therefore, things don't just shut down. Plus, the major wouldn't be tied up with those heinous bills every month."

"That explains a lot." Slipping into the shower, I was hit by a stream of warm water, making me moan. "Oh, God, that feels good."

Spectre slipped in behind me and embraced me from behind. "Mmm, that's true."

"Vincent…please, don't try anything."

He frowned, but nodded, "But I can still hold you in my arms, Chris."

"Ok, but it's hard to wash up with you right behind me."

He chuckled, "That's true." He loosened his arms and took a small step back. Grabbing the shampoo bottle, he poured some into his claw and began to scrub his shaggy hair. I took the bar of soap and began to wash off the dirt, blood and cum off my body. He purred as he rinsed his hair, "Ah, I already feel better."

"Mmm, me too. It's been a long ass time since I've had a shower." Trading my soap for his shampoo, I scrubbed my hair and smiled, "Oh thank God…no more greasy hair."

Giving our bodies a good rinse, we got out and he grabbed a bunch of towels. One was for his waist and his hair, while one he handed me so I can dry off. "Thanks."

"No problem. We need some clothes."

"You don't say~"

He chuckled, "Ok. We can salvage clothes from here. You can wear the girl's clothes~"

"Ah, fuck no." I walked out and went into the mayor's room to see if there was anything I could wear. However, the only thing this man had to wear was suits. "Aw, mother fucker, really? Nothing causal."

"Umm…Chris? Did you know this man had a son?" Spectre asked when he came up behind me.

I blinked and turned around, "No." He was wearing his cargo pants, but still no shirt. "How did you figure that?"

"One of the pictures on the mantle. There was an Army soldier with the girl in one of them."

"Oh. Well, where's his room?"

"Down the hall. Come on."

I followed the chimera down the hall and into the soldier's room. It was very dusty, as if it wasn't used in years. I looked around, "Looks like a regular room. Bed, bureau, closet, window, and a night table. Damn, looks like my old room after I moved out."

He chuckled, "Wanna know something about military rooming?"

"Sure."

"The cabins are tiny. So this room is a living room with a grand chandelier in comparison."

I whistled and blinked, "Damn."

He walked over to the closet and saw a spare Army jacket. It was army green (duh!) with four pockets, one on each breast and one on each side of the hips. On the tag that was above the left pocket spelt 'RK-0713'. "Hmm. The Recon Killers."

"The what?" Chris asked.

"A forgotten group of the Army. These guys scoped out spies and killed them. Only a very few men were out doing this kind of thing, thanks to their uncanny ability to sniff out suspicious activity among the ranks."

I blinked, "Wow. Or…it could be his initials."

"That too," Spectre gave the jacket a quick salute and took ahold of it. He placed the jacket on his shoulders and gently tugged on the jacket flaps and hummed, "It fits pretty well."

"Maybe a shirt for it?"

He smirked, "Why? Don't like my body?"

"Oh, I like it…but I'm sure Nick won't appreciate it."

He scoffed, "Like I care about his opinion." However, he did walk to the dresser and opened a drawer to find a dark grey shirt to wear. Tossing the jacket off for a moment, he grabbed it and threw it over his head. "Not bad. Not too tight, not too loose." Putting the jacket back on, he turned to me, still naked, and smirked, "How do I look?"

I blushed, "Pretty damn good, Vince."

"Wish you can stay like that…but these pants are starting to get a little tight."

I giggled and walked past him, "Sorry, but I'm not helping you there~"

He pouted and stared at my towel-covered ass, and whimpered, "Damn."

I giggled and looked into the bureau, looking for clothes. I did see a huge roll of duct tape, but instead of the traditional silver, it was black with blue flames around the tape as a design. "That's badass." I took a hold of the roll and tossed it on the bed.

Spectre smirked as he looked at the duct tape on the bed, "Oh my."

"Vincent…no."

He pouted again, "Aww."

I found a regular roll of silver duct tape and tossed that on the bed as well. Finding a black hoodie, I grinned as I took ahold of it, "Awesome. I need my pants and panties and I should be good to go."

"Are you going to duct tape your boobs?!"

I smirked, "Yeah. It's easily better than a sports bra."

"Yeah, but harder to take off."

"So? Not a problem for me~"

"You tease," he whimpered.

I took the roll of silver tape and began to roll it over my boobs. It was hard, but when Spectre helped me get it around my back, it was much easier to do. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Just remember I can tear that apart to get to them."

I rolled my eyes, "Horn dog."

He chuckled and smiled. "You're going to need a new pair of pants."

"Wait, why?"

He blushed, "Umm…remember last night?"

"Yeah," I blushed as well.

"Well…my…umm…"

I quickly rose my claw up to stop him, "You ruined my pants?"

"Yep."

"Ok then. Thanks for telling me." I saw a pair of green cargo pants and smiled, "Bingo. Going commando~"

The chimera whimpered, "Oh, don't do that…"

I giggled and slipped the pants on. Grabbing a brown belt nearby, I tightened it and smiled, "I love these pants already." Taking the roll of silver tape, I wrapped up my legs and then my arms and claws when I put the hoodie on. Aside from my shoes, I was dressed. I grinned and told Spectre, "How do I look?"

"Sexy, as always."

I blushed and took the two rolls of tape and placed them into one of the pockets of my new pants. "Alright, I'm good. Come on, let's go."

As soon as we went downstairs, I heard a hammer cock back. I froze.

BANG!

I screeched as the bullet hit the small of my back. "Fuck!"

Suddenly, I heard, "Wait…friendly?"

Spectre vanished and reappeared directly in front of my attacker. With vicious snarl, he grabbed the pistol out of his hand and slashed him across the face. However, he was quick enough to move his head, so the slash wasn't as deep as Spectre expected. He grunted, ignoring the painful tears of his bleeding flesh and unsheathed a machete to face off against Spectre.

"Wait! Spectre! Stop!" I barked at him as I painfully stood up. With a yelp, I hissed, "Just get this bullet out of my back!"

The chimera growled and took a few steps away from the human and went to my side. "Are you ok?"

"Ouch. I'll live."

He frowned and pulled my hoodie up and saw the entry wound. "He hissed with sympathy and stated as he plucked it out, "You must be lucky to inherited Scar's healing ability…"

"It's kept me alive so far, so yeah I am."

The human spoke again. "Friendlies?"

"Two seconds, please," I growled as my wound slowly healed up.

"I ought rip his head off for shooting you," the chimera snarled lowly.

"Vincent, at least he stopped. He can understand us, remember?" I stood up right and turned to the man. He was the Army soldier who used to live here. He had spiky black hair that looked almost dark blue, with oddly colored eyes: purple/red. For a soldier just out of the army, he seemed to dress like a biker: black leather jacket, biker gloves, white tank top, and black pants with a chain on his left hip.

"Must I ask again?" he spoke.

"No."

He blinked, "How can you even move? That shot was…"

"I know. Right to the spine. Hoping to paralyze. But you've never faced an Alpha Hunter before."

"But how are you a zombie? I can understand you, clear as day."

"You can thank the serum flowing in our bloodstreams. We can already understand you, thanks to the virus not affecting that part of our brains. Come to think of it, we still act and think like we were humans, expect zombie instinct will kick in from time to time. We're not called 'Special Infected' for nothing."

He nodded, "I get it. Got names?"

"Chris Starly."

"Wait, the Miami conartist?!"

I blinked, "Yes. You've heard of me?"

"Oh yeah. That sick stunt against the best of the best. Damn, I feared to even step foot in that city."

I blushed and scratched the back of my neck, "Ah. I guess my reputation is more wide spread than I thought."

"I'm Roth Kaspian, but I was called 'Tripp' as a callsign."

"Was your last name spelt with a 'K'?"

He nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"That'll explain the 'RK' on the patch."

"I see. And him? What's his story?"

Spectre growled, "Lt. Vincent 'Spectre' Overbeck."

"I see. Is she your lover, wife, girlfriend?" Roth asked with a glare.

"No."

"Yes."

We both blushed at the instantaneous reaction.

Roth smirked, "Ok then. Should I be afraid of you two?"

Spectre growled, "If you shoot her again, than yes, you should be afraid."

"Well, I won't. She seems to be the calm one in this relationship."

Spectre growled again, but I quickly gripped his shoulder, "Vince, calm down."

Roth looked around and stated, "I don't see anything terrible. Where are my father and sister?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. We were alone when we came in here to escape the storm yesterday."

"Ok then." Roth walked to the study and noticed the basement door spray-painted in big red letters 'DO NOT OPEN! ZOMBIES!' The soldier gulped, "Oh shit."

I walked in and asked, "Roth? Are you ok?"

He pointed to the door, "Did you see that?"

"No. We only made it upstairs, but that's it."

"Ah. Too busy getting busy, eh?"

Spectre growled again, "None of your fuckin' business."

"Can I have my Five-seveN back," Roth asked.

The chimera muttered, "You seem fine with that machete."

"Vincent, don't be a prick. Give it back. Besides, with those open scratches, he'll be at a greater risk of being infected in close combat."

He sighed, "It's a sad day when you make more military sense than me." Tossing the powerful pistol back to Roth, he looked at the door and hummed, "How many do you think?"

Roth answered, "Two at least. My father and sister loved this place. They refused to move away or flee when the infection spread." Reloading his pistol, he took a deep breath as he crept closer to the door and quickly twisted the knob and opened it. A Spitter instantly shot acid into his face, making him shriek with agony.

We gasped from the sudden attack on Roth. I grabbed my Magnum and frowned at him, "Forgive me." BANG! I crowned the poor soldier in the head; his death was instant.

Spectre rushed in and shoved the Spitter down the stairs and into the Boomer at the bottom. "He was right about the two zombies down there." Taking his Assault rifle into his claws, he took aim and quickly shot both of them. The Spitter's acid sizzled on the wooden stairs, making them corrode and eat away, while the Boomer flat-out exploded. Closing the door, he turned to me, "Are you ok?"

I nodded as I sheathed my weapon, "I'm fine, but I can't say the same for Roth."

I placed Roth in the middle of the room and crossed his arms over his chest. Grabbing a blanket, I placed it over his body and saluted him. "Rest in peace."

Suddenly, we heard a cry, "Help!"

Snapping our attention to the door, Spectre rushed over to it and opened it. "Hello!?"

He heard a very faint cry, "Help me please…"

I ran behind him, but he hopped down and landed on the acid residue. "Yeow! Ow!" he yelped as he quickly hopped off.

"Are you ok?" I called to him.

"Yeah, I'm ok." He looked around the dark basement and muttered, "Damn, I wish I had a flashlight, at least." One step in and his foot was submerged in water. Suddenly, his body absorbed thousands of watts of electricity into his body. His body jerked and spazzed, his hearts already in cardiac arrest as he fell backwards onto the cement platform.

I gasped and quickly hopped down next to him. "Vincent!" Taking his pulse, I frowned deeply to not feel one. "You stupid asshole…you better come back."

I remember how upset and furious I was when the Haggard killed him in Savannah. Now, I just feel upset and hopeless. Gently nuzzling his neck, I whispered, "You better."

"Help…"

My ears perked from the soft whimper. I looked around the very dark basement and muttered, "No wonder he didn't see the water…it's pitch black in here. Whoever's there, stay put. I'll be back when I knock the power out. Don't move, and dear God, don't go near the water."

The whimpering voice answered, "O-ok."

I nodded as I leaped up back into the study, running out of it and out the door. I ran around the house and found the power box. "Oh, bingo." I twisted the lever to cut the power and waited a few minutes. Running back to the basement, I hopped back down and checked on Spectre. Still lifeless and cold. I frowned and gently kissed his forehead, "Please come back to me."

I looked back at the flooded floor and frowned, "I wonder." Remembering what Spectre said about possible solar panels, I decided to ran back outside and see if that's true. A quick hop onto the roof revealed the flat panels. "Ok." I didn't want to destroy them, thinking I could use this house again. Looking around, I tried to remember how solar panels worked. I did remember that I had an idea to install them on my family's roof at one point, but was too stubborn to allow help…and it fucked everything up. I hopped down and remembered about the inverter which turns off the whole grid, but not the panels themselves.

My mission: find the inverter and take it from there.

The inverter should look like a small grey box on the side of the house with long thick cables coming out of it. It wasn't that hard to find; it was on the far side of the house. Turning the kill switches to 'OFF' killed the grid's power, regarding the panels off and no longer sending energy into the house.

I smiled, "Mission complete! Need to check if the water's safe now or not."

Hopping down into the basement again, I called out to the voice, "Hey, you still with me?"

After about five seconds of silence, it answered, "Y-yes."

"Ok, good. Where are you exactly?"

"On the cage."

"There's a cage?" It must not be metal then. If it was, then the figure would be zapped as well.

"Y-yes."

"Ok. Umm…keep talking. We need to kill a little time."

"Why?"

I looked at the water and stated, "I killed the power, but it's not safe to hop in yet. So, stay there."

"Ok…who are you?"

"I'm Christina Starly, the Star Hunter."

"You're the Star Hunter?!" the voice sounded excited, as well as shocked.

"Yes. What are you?" I asked.

It whimpered, "I'm…Andrea. I'm a monster…"

"Hey, Andrea, don't say that about yourself," I urged. "If you want to see a real monster, you run into my ex. He's a Haggard."

"What's a Haggard?"

"It's a cross between a Tank and a porcupine," I commented, trying to have an accurate visual in my head to describe the creature.

"Oh…"

"But very gruesome and dangerous," I added.

"I hope I don't see it…"

"Trust me…so do I." Deciding to get off the Haggard subject, I asked, "What species are you?"

"I'm…a leaper."

I blinked; a leaper? "Umm…can you be more specific? Are you scrawny and giggly all the time or more snarly and well-built?" I, once again, did my best to think of what would be easy to visualize a Hunter and Jockey. I decided not to describe attire, because not all of the specific Infected wear the same type of clothes. Like Spectre; he may be a chimera, but his body built buff like a Tank, but flexible like a Hunter, so he's a Hunter's body. He doesn't wear a hoodie with duct tape. He wears his worn out cargo pants and a military jacket from Roth.

Roth crossed my mind, making me ask the darkness, "Hey, did you live here?" I didn't bother waiting for the 'specific' answer. I'll see her when it's safe to cross the water.

A small whimper. "Y-yes."

I frowned, "I'm sorry. Who…who are your parents?"

"My daddy was military."

I gulped; shit, I just killed her father. "Was his name Roth?"

"No."

Huh?! Now I'm confused. If she lived here, and her father was military, then how could it NOT be Roth?

"I was told his name was 'Tripp.'"

I gave the darkness a deadpanned look. "That's his callsign, sweetie."

"Well, I know next to nothing about the military!"

"Wow, ok, calm down."

Another cock of machinery was caught by my sensitive ears. "Oh, fuck."

"What? What's that?" the voice whimpered. Apparently, she heard it too.

"Like shooting rotting fish in a barrel," a deep voice purred from up above. "Any last words, zombie?"

I smirked, "Yeah," I turned invisible and made my voice softer and most distant, "You can't shoot what you can't see."

He growled, "Fuck. I know you're still there, demon!"

Taking a piece of the corroded wood from the stairs, I tossed it into the water. His attention snapped to the sound and opened fire. Not moving from my original spot, I leaped up and tackled him to the ground. He screamed as he landed hard on his back. But one look at him made me blink. "Wait…Roth?!"

He grunted, "Damn…how do you know me?!"

"But…I shot you in the head!"

"I wouldn't remembered that…and how the hell are you talking?!"

I rolled my eyes, "I have to explain this again?!"

"Wait, again?! For fuck's sake I don't even know you!"

Growling with frustration, I took the gun away, which happened to be Combat Rifle, and strapped it to my back. I got off the man and walked over to the body I covered up with the blanket in the center of the room. Removing it, I pointed to the poor soldier. "Him!"

The man sat up and rubbed his now-bruised back. "My stupid older brother. He wanted to have my identity. His name is Russ, not Roth. Roth is me."

I muttered, "I'm having a Tundra-Sub-Zero moment here."

He laughed, "I know what you mean! What did he tell you?"

"His name is Roth Kaspian, callsign is 'Tripp', was in the Army, respected me as a conartist."

"What?"

"I'm Chris Starly, the Miami conartist," I answered his vague question.

"Ah, yes. I have heard of you. You're clearly not human right now," Roth noted.

"Glad you finally came to your senses. Now, what's his deal?"

Roth looked down at the dead man and sighed, "Russ is my twin brother. The older brother. He mimicked me with everything…to the point when he went insane and thought he was me. That's why he tried to pass off as me when you encountered him. He lost what he was and claimed to be me."

"I see. So you're the true military man of the family."

"Oh no, I'm not. Russ is military as well. Except…the difference being…" he sighed sadly, "He's a deserter."

I gasped; I don't need to be military to know how serious that is. "A…deserter?!"

Roth frowned deeply, almost ashamed at his late brother, "Yes."

I was about to say something, but I heard a faint splash. My eyes widened, "Oh shit."

I hopped down to the basement again and yelled, "Andrea!"

"I'm ok! The water's fine," her voice answered, followed by a swishing noise. She waddled her way to the cement platform. She climbed up and now in the light, I could tell what she was: a Hunter.

She was small, with short brown hair. Her eyes were crystal blue, a step up above Spectre's own eye color. She was wearing ripped up jeans and a black blouse. That outfit was most likely the outfit she was turned in. She was young; possibly early teens.

She looked at me and blinked, "You're older than I thought."

I frowned and muttered, "Thanks; that boosts my confidence."

She looked at Spectre's body and shrieked. That shrieked alarmed Roth and aimed down through the doorway. "Whoa! Don't shoot! It's ok!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! She used to live here!"

Roth sighed, "Besides, how would I shoot? You took my rifle."

I looked on my back at his confiscated firearm and chuckled sheepishly, "Oh yeah, I did."

"Who's down there?" he asked.

"Andrea and my lover's corpse."

Roth gave me a dumbfounded look, before he answered, "Damn, what did you do last night?"

"Nothing you can't find on YouPorn!" I retorted back.

Roth burst out laughing, "Damn, Chris, I like you."

"Sorry, but I've already got two men dying for my attention, so adding one more isn't safe."

"Oh, no worries. You're not my type."

"That's good…I think." I turned to Andrea and pointed to the doorway literally lit up with sunlight. "That's your way out. Roth is up there." Turning up to Roth, I barked, "Don't be alarmed when someone hops up that's not me!"

As if on cue, Andrea leaps up and tackles Roth to the floor.

With a huff, he grunted, "Thanks for the fucking warning!"

I looked down at Spectre's corpse again and frowned. He hasn't moved an inch from when he got electrocuted. I'm worried that he won't even come back. After all, how many times has he died already? Seven times? Six times before this hell, and once in front of me? I gulped and muttered, "I hope you're a cat and can spare one more!"

I grabbed one arm and hoisted his body onto my back, which was much easier said than done. For one, he's about half-more my size, most of it is muscle. Add his muscles being lax completely, that's more dead weight I'm not used to carrying. With a straining back, I positioned myself so I can keep him on my back and clear the doorway altogether. Or at least make it half way. And then I can claw the rest of it.

Then something hit me: my old sleeves that we used the night before. That can bind his claws together (and not make him pull them apart…the bastard) and wrap them around my neck, hence I could use both of my claws. Gently placing him back on the platform, I ruffled his black hair and smiled, "I'll be back."

Hopping back up into the study, I ran past Andrea and Roth, yelling, "Two seconds!" Bolting up the stairs and into the girl's room, I rushed up the ladder into the sex pad and found the remains of our clothes in the darkness. Grabbing my two sleeves (along with anything that were in my old hoodie pockets, which included my mom's diary and Bill's name patch and beret); I ran back downstairs and back down into the basement.

Binding his claws together tightly, I looped his arms over my neck and pulled his bulk back over my back. With a mighty leap, I soared in the air…and onto the bottom of the door frame. I yelped with pain and began to claw my way back up into the study. Thanks to Spectre's arms nearly strangling me, it was tough to pull us both up.

Miraculously, I was able to do so.

Clearing up introductions and plans, I have learned that Andrea was related to Roth; she is his niece. Apparently, I was on the right track on this family tree; Russ, Roth's twin is Andrea's father. That helped clear up the confusion I originally had.

The four of us (more like three of us, since Spectre was still out) trekked through the swamp with ease. Andrea was surprisingly strong and liked to fight. Roth was a deadeye shot with his weapon as well. For once I was the one on the sidelines; the escort.

Finally getting to the manor, I was amazed I made it this far without getting jumped. Although I'm very worried about Spectre; he didn't wake up or show any sign of life. Maybe he's dead for good.

"HEY!" I heard a call from far away.

I gasped my mind quickly connected the name to the voice, "Sheila!"

"Who?" Roth asked.

"Spectre's daughter and my best friend," I stated.

"Wait…does she know that you banged her dad?" Roth asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"No one knows, and if you value your life, Roth, I suggest we keep it this way," I growled lowly.

Roth raised his hands, "Easy, Chris. I promise."

Andrea nodded, "Me too. Not even if I'm tortured."

"A grizzly promise, but it works," I noted.

As we dragged our battle-scarred bodies into the backyard, Sheila rushed in and gasped to see Spectre on my back. She helped untie his wrists and his heavy bulk slipped down onto the ground. "What happened?"

"He forgot to look before he leapt," I muttered as I slipped onto the ground on my stomach, "I'm getting too old for piggyback rides…"

"Huh?"

"He stepped into a pool of electrified water."

She gasped, "So…he's dead?! My real father is dead!?"

I sat up and cracked my back. "Sheila, ever heard of a special medical condition that allows a restarting the heart even after death? It's a very rare condition. And Vincent's one of those people to have it. In fact, I've seen him die before."

She frowned, "Oh, really? Like the Lazarus Syndrome?"

"Yes….wait, what?"

"It's the name of that condition. I've read about it in college. I just can't believe my own father has it." She looked down at him, who was still pale as a sheet and still as a rock. Roth shifted his firearm, making a clicking sound, making Sheila look up. "Who's that?"

"An ally."

Roth nodded and saluted, "Private Roth 'Tripp' Kaspian. Any friend of Chris' is a friend of mine."

"Cool. I see you're a soldier, like my father."

"Your father is a mercenary, MIA soldier. I've learned a lot of him when I was in my A school." Roth reloaded his weapon and sighed, "His life sucked."

I frowned, "That's sadly true."

Sheila frowned as well and sighed, "You need to get me up to speed about my own father. It's kinda sad that you know more of him than I do."

I nodded, "Of course. But first, where's everyone?"

"Inside, trying to find a way down the river."

Andrea finally appeared and smiled at Sheila. With a friendly wave, she grinned, "Hi!"

"Umm…what did the Hunter say?"

I sighed, "She said, 'Hi.'"

"Oh. Who is she?"

"An infected human, like me. Her name is Andrea. And she is related to the mayor. Roth's niece."

Sheila nodded, "I see. So, she won't pounce me or the others?"

"Hopefully not," I stated.

"Oh, I really like the change of clothes." Suddenly, she got dark, "You did…"

I blushed, "I'll tell you everything when we're alone."

**Lazerlemon:** So, everyone's back together again.

**Ro:** Yeah, but how will things go? After what Spectre and Chris did?

**Lazerlemon:** No idea. But it will get interesting; I will guess that much.

**Ro:** Nick won't be happy…if he finds out.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Star Hunter **_

_**Chapter 22: A Venomous Future and a Bloody Past**_

Spectre's eyes shot open with a loud gasp. He sat up quickly, hitting Ellis' cap fin with his forehead. "Ouch! Damn, careful, man!"

The chimera groaned as he rubbed his forehead, "I didn't expect to see you watching me, Ellis."

"A special request from Sheila and Chris."

Our names rang a large bell. "Where are they?"

Ellis answered as he smiled, "They decided to scout ahead to find some help down the river. Besides, they needed a little girl time, if ya know what I mean."

Spectre blinked as a conversation went through his head. Will I tell his own daughter about their lustful night together? How would she handle it? Will she even look at him after banging her best friend? "I see, Ellis…"

"So, Chris, tell me what happened when you got rescued?" Sheila asked with a certain firmness that demanded answers.

I sighed and walked along the riverbank. "I nearly drowned on that bank. If Vincent didn't find me when he did, I'd be dead. Your father's a hero, not a coward."

"I never said he was," she frowned, curious about his past. "What happened to him?"

"You should ask him that question. But, what happened to us yesterday…we were ambushed by a forest fire. We had to get onto the other side. He could teleport, but I had to leap across."

Sheila's eyes widened, "Are you serious?! You know how wide that river is!"

"I know, but somehow I made it. I pounced him down a hill and we rolled down in a ball. He…" I found myself blushing as I continued with the story, "He admitted that he loved me and kissed me."

Sheila blinked and blushed, "He told you that he loved you? He yelled that to Nick after Marshal fled the fight."

I gulped; Nick knows, and that's not good. "Uh-oh."

"Yeah, Nick's not very happy."

"I could only imagine what he could do. A scorned con artist is someone you should never mess with."

"Yeah. Smart move keeping him away from Spectre's body," Sheila noted.

I nodded, "Yeah. Anyway, he was attacked by a Hunter, ruining his jacket, exposing his body. Even for a middle-aged man, he's got a very fit body."

Sheila rolled her eyes, "You were saying?"

"Oh, yeah. A storm came in and we were forced to take shelter in a manor. It was the mayor's place and we stayed there for the night." I blushed heavily about what we did.

Sheila knew she wanted more than my answer. "What happened?"

"We…we found a sex pad."

Sheila listened intensely.

"We…began to make out. Things grew hot and steamy and…we…" I took a deep breath as I admitted, "We made love." Just remembering how it felt being pressed against his naked body made me blush and smile softly. Why, of all people, it had to be Spectre?! He's Sheila's biological father. That fact alone is very creepy.

But, down to the bare bones of it, I always looked out for Sheila as if she was my own daughter. She was my best friend ever for years, but knowing that I banged her father, it almost makes me either official or…creepy. With a groan, I muttered out loud, "Sounds like a bad porno flick."

"What does?"

"Oh, nothing. So, are you and Ellis…~" I gave a smirk, which made Sheila blush hysterically.

"No! We never did anything!" she barked.

I chuckled, "I know. I just don't want break the news of grandkids to Vincent."

Sheila blushed, "Not this young…but maybe one day."

I nodded, "Smart move."

"Well, you told me to wait. And that's a very valid idea."

I smiled, but then growled at something in the shrubberies. Sheila's rifle was up. "What is it?"

I ordered, "Stay back."

With a snarl, I crouched, ready to pounce if needed. "Show yourself!"

The shrubs moved again. Sheila took aim and waited. My eyes narrowed while my claws dug up the earth below me. The figure leaped out of its hiding spot and crashed into the muddy bank. Sheila instantly blinked and relaxed, "Chris, it's ok! I know her!"

I ceased my growling and relaxed.

It was Pleo, except, she looked terrible. Her clothes were all torn up and singed as if she was on fire. I looked at her and noticed her claws were glowing green and judging by how the mud around them sizzled and crackled, they were acidic.

"Oh my God! Pleo! What happened to you?!" Sheila rushed to her.

"Sheila? Is that you?" she weakly asked. Her filthy brown hair covered her eyes when she looked up to Sheila.

"Yeah, it's me."

She gave a dry chuckle, "Of all places to find you…in this swamp."

"What are you doing here?!"

Pleo frowned deeply, "I escaped. From the lab. Those cures…" She quickly shook her head, "They were only experimenting on us, and not curing us!"

I frowned as well. So much for thinking there's a cure out there. "That's a heart-breaker."

Pleo turned to me and asked, "Who are you?"

"Chris Starly."

Her expression was awe-full, "You're Chris?! Nick's love?!"

My heart froze and my stomach tightened so hard I almost coughed. "Yeah, that's me."

"So, you are alive…but infected."

"Yes, and so are you. Are you a…" I looked at her claws again and gulped, "A hybrid?"

Sheila answered, "No, she's a Hunter like you and my father."

"Your father's a chimera. There's a difference," I muttered.

Pleo frowned and looked down at her oozing claws, "They…injected me with lime green goo…"

"What did that do to you?" Sheila asked softly, clearly concerned for her.

"It turned me into a monster!"

"Not this again," I facepalmed. Normally, I'd be sensitive, but the constant, 'I'm a monster' statement is getting old. However, I held my tongue to avoid ranting off to her. "You're not a monster."

"Yes I am! I was a Hunter! I could handle that. But now my claws are dripping acid and Hunters don't do that!"

"Acid?" Sheila blinked. We both suddenly went, "Spitter."

"Did they inject her with Spitter DNA?!"

Sheila shrugged, "Sounds it, but where would they get it?! The only zombies that were in our base are her, Nick, and Christophe."

Pleo frowned more, "He didn't make it…"

"What?!" she gasped with shock.

"Yeah…he was taken by the scientists when I began to have acidic fits of pain." Suddenly, she shrieked as her claws began to drip acid. Pleo was clearly in pain.

Thinking fast, I shoved her shoulders, hoping she'll take the bait and attack me.

Thankfully, she took it. With two deep slashes on my exposed stomach, I hissed in agony as her acid ate away at my sliced up flesh. Sheila gasped, "Chris!"

"I'm ok," I grunted, holding my sizzling wounds.

Pleo gasped, the pain in her claws gone now. "Oh my God! Are you ok?"

"I'll be fine. What about you? Anymore pain?"

Pleo blinked and flexed her claws, "No…how?"

"I have a hunch that it's acid building up in your claws. Abby once told me that when she was turned for the first time, she had a very painful time trying to get used to the acid pores in her mouth."

"But what about you?" Sheila asked, looking at my wounds.

"Oh, watch." My injuries already began to close up. "Remember when Alex shot me?"

"You mean when you took a bullet for my dad?" Sheila cocked an eyebrow. "Oh right…you can heal. I forgot about that."

"It certainly comes in handy," I stated as the claw marks healed completely.

Sheila nodded and stated, "We should get back to the group. Pleo needs to recuperate."

"Ok. Black Widow, Cat Woman, and Poison Ivy. Marry, fuck, kill. Go."

Spectre groaned with a slight blush, "Ellis, why do you keep playing this game?"

"'Cause it kills time, while getting a good laugh," the older redneck chuckled with a smirk.

With a sigh, he muttered after some thought, "Marry Poison Ivy. Fuck Black Widow. Kill Cat Woman."

Ellis laughed and snickered. "I'd marry Black Widow, fuck Cat Woman, and kill Poison Ivy."

Spectre pursued his lips as he picked at Ellis' logic. "Well, think about it for a moment, Ellis. Poison Ivy is going to be killed or at least arrested by Batman, so I'd be a widow…"

Ellis suddenly got excited for making the connection, "Like Black Widow! Aww man, that's clever!"

"What is?" Rochelle asked as she walked in with three bottles of water.

Ellis raised his hands to catch it when Ro threw it to him. "Nothin'. Just guy stuff. Hey, Ro, wanna play a game?"

Spectre blinked and turned to the woman, "Say no."

"Ummm…no thanks, sweetie."

Ellis pouted, "Aww man. You're no fun."

She shrugged and stated, "Nick and Lazerlemon are getting used to each other's company, but sometimes I think the only reason Nick is being so nice is to get information out of him."

Ellis gave a legit frown. Nick was sneaky, that much was certain, but to con the poor former fluff ball? "That's unthinkable, Ro. Why would he do that?"

Spectre internally frowned as he thought, 'Clearly wants info on Chris through Lazerlemon.'

Ro shrugged, "I don't know."

The chimera bit his tongue subtly. The last thing he needed was to create a thicker aura around him and Nick; that damn hatred is thick enough to cut with a dull spoon right now. And if Nick found out that he slept with his love, the conartist would go one of two ways: deep, unbreakable depression or chaotic and utter violence.

"Guys!" I called out to everyone in the manor, my voice echoing a bit.

Spectre was up in a flash and vanished to suddenly appear in front of me. I yelped and crashed into him. He grunted a bit, but ultimately didn't move that much. I felt his arms wrap around me in a tight hug, "Hey, you."

"Hey," I blushed a bit. "Vincent, let go of me."

"Why?"

"Nick's why," I whispered low so only he heard it. With a frown, he nodded and let go of me. "We found someone."

"Who?" Ellis asked as he caught up with us.

When Pleo emerged behind Sheila, Ellis' eyes widened, "No way. Pleo!"

"Ellis?! What are you doing here?!" She was equally surprised to see the redneck.

"Yeah, everyone's here," he stated.

Pleo paled, "Even Nick?"

I blinked and suddenly, Spectre had a bit of an evil grin on his face. I elbowed him hard in the hip and nodded at Pleo, "Yes."

As if on cue, Nick appeared around the corner from the study. His eyes widened to see her. "Pleo?!"

She gasped, "Nick!" He rushed for her, making it only prove Spectre's unspoken point. However, he halted when she placed her claws up and shoved his chest plate. He stumbled back, while she shook her head, "Stay away from me!"

Nick frowned, "What, why? Pleo, how are you here?"

"I escaped…" she whispered.

"Nick, your chest plate," I pointed to it.

He looked down at it and noticed green sizzling spots eating away at the caliber fabric. "Yikes! Acid?"

Pleo frowned and nodded, looking at her claws. "Yeah, acid. From Spitter DNA."

"What did they do?!" Nick growled.

"There's no cure, Nick," she sighed, making Nick gasp. "Instead, they've been experimenting on us. I had to escape, before they took me away like they did with Christophe."

"Oh, shit, they better not hurt him!" Nick snarled.

"I don't know," she frowned.

Spectre sighed, "No cure? Damn…"

"Disappointed, Vince?" I asked.

"A bit," he admitted. He wouldn't mind being human again.

"It doesn't matter now. We need to get to Scar."

Spectre rolled his eyes, "Oh, yeah, smart idea me going near him or that sugar mill."

I scowled at him, "You don't have to come."

Sheila blinked as she looked at me. "Calm down."

I sighed and took a deep breath. "Ok, ok. I'm ok. Just lost my cool for a second. I still want to find him. I have a few questions for him."

Spectre stated, "Let me go ahead then. I, too, need to talk with him and I can get there much quicker with my vanishing ability."

"Just…don't hurt him."

He sighed, "No promises." With a wink to me, he vanished into thin air.

Scar sat on his perch, unzipping his hoodie to see the healing wounds. Looking down at them, they were scabbing nicely, making him smile a bit with satisfaction. His dark dirty bangs shielded his eye sockets from the harmful sun and bright light. Touching one of his ribs, he gritted his fangs a bit, feeling how stingy it still was. "That bastard…"

"Scar?" a meek voice emerged behind him. He turned to see a little witch cowering before him. "Are you ok?"

A soft and warm smile emerged on his mug as he hopped down and zipped his hoodie back up, "I'm fine, Angel. Don't worry about me."

"But…I do worry," she frowned, gently taking his claw with her long ones. Angel was just a scared little girl when Scar discovered her. Separated from her family during the panic of the outbreak, she met the misfortune of being infected by a Witch's infected bite and blood. "I love you."

Scar found her sentence to be very sweet and innocent, two things he miss in this hell bound world. "I love you too, Angel. And thank you about worrying about me."

"Who did this to you?" she asked as she eyed his covered chest, remembering the scars and scabs that were underneath.

He frowned, "Spectre."

"The chimera?" Even for a little one, she does know the stories and rumors that surrounded the infamous Marine-turned-chimera.

"Yes. I attacked him for kissing my sister, Chris."

"You have a sister?" she tilted her head to the side.

"Yes. She's my twin."

"Cool!" she squealed.

He chuckled at her. "Yeah. However…it was I who infected her."

"But why?"

Scar sighed, "It seemed like a good idea at the time. She was going to die if I didn't infect her. I'd rather have my sister alive and infected with me than dead like the rest of our family."

She frowned, "Your family's dead too?"

"Yes."

"Why did you attack Spectre?" Angel asked, curious.

Scar sighed, running his claw through his dirty hair before pulling the hood back up. "I just want to protect my sister, for one. I know how strong he is and how short of a temper he's got. I still remember that Marine that had the cell next to mine, hearing him grunting and screaming in pain as scientists experimented on him, creating what he is today. But, of course, I went through the same Hell as him, but earlier and less stronger."

Angel sat on his lap as he continued the history lesson. "We escaped together and freed the other lab-created hybrids. We were the strongest of them all. We were both capable leaders with a strong sense of honor…but that's where it ended. He was older, more experienced, had a family, and his strength was triple my own. I guess you can say I'm jealous, but not too much back then."

Taking a deep breath he admitted, "Until the day we ran into a human camp dedicated to CEDA and science. I was outraged and wanted to attack. Spectre didn't. I ignored him completely and attacked the camp, discovering my abilities as an Alpha Hunter. I slaughtered them all. The men, the women, the children." He frowned. He didn't want to kill without reason, but back then, he still felt mercy thanks to his previous career as a firefighter. He fought to protect; now, he fights to survive.

Angel frowned deeply, "Even little babies?"

With a deep sigh, he nodded, "Yes."

Angel gasped and began to cry a bit, "How could you do that?!"

"I had to. If I didn't, those babies would've been tested on, for a cure that will never exist." He held her carefully like a father trying to sooth a crying daughter. Closing his eye lids, his pained heart beat hard in his chest; Angel is the closest thing he'll even get to a real daughter.

"However, Spectre attacked me…by throwing a refrigerator at me. I was hit pretty hard, hearing him scream my name in frenzy 'ZACHARY!' It scared me, but I was more than ready to fight him. Sadly, thanks to his strength and my lack of training, I lost and had to flee, snarling my vengeance to him as I fled down South."

"He really hates you…"

He sighed, "Well, I hate him before Chris met him, but now I do have a valid reason to do so."

"What if Chris loves him, though?" Angel looked up at him with teary eyes.

Scar made a face, "I hope not."

"But what if she does?"

He sighed, "I'll have to get back to you on that, Angel. Go play with the others."

She smiled, "Ok, Scar." She sat up and kissed his scarred cheek and ran off.

Deep inside his human heart, he truly felt upset. What if Angel was right and I did love Spectre? His only remaining family taken away from him. He's lost so many already. First, his girlfriend and unborn child. He was going to be a father, but the apocalypse took them away from him. His best friends were slaughtered by Hunters and a good coworker was squashed by a Tank.

Lastly, he remembered how his father died.

He tried to warn him about the outbreak, but he didn't listen, saying that Zach was nothing more but a child reaching out for attention, taking up his valuable time. Zach snapped and said some very cruel things that made his own father cry. The last sentence his dad heard from him was "You can just go to Hell, old man!"

A Smoker tongue smashed through the window from an adjacent building and wrapped around his neck, dragging him out of the window and plunged into the air until the tongue reached its limit and snapped his neck with a sharp crunch.

Scar found himself silently crying over these painful memories. Releasing a shaky sigh, he touched his scarred cheek; that's how he obtained his call sign Scar. He was glad he didn't tell Angel what really happened in the story of the storming of the camp.

Most of it was true, but Spectre almost killed him. Zach was at his mercy, which he gave…but at a price: a vicious scratch on his left cheek, ripping into his flesh and the fabric of his hood. Spectre showed mercy while Scar couldn't, proving to be the stronger man. It only added fuel to the fire of hatred.

Thinking about it for a moment, Scar chuckled, "I was scarred by Spectre. Chris was scarred by me. She needs to scar him and the vicious circle is complete." Looking up into the sky, he sighed and muttered to himself, "Getting dark already? Swell."

Standing up, he stretched and cracked his back and began to walk into the factory building itself. Going into the darkness, he reached for the basement door and opened it. Walking into the complete darkness, Scar was assaulted by the rotten smell of rot and mold. The room itself was silent, but his sharp ears picked up a faint breathing and a slight movement of chain links. Trying to calm his nerves, he closed his eyes. Literally, ten seconds after dead silence…he opened them…

**Chris:** CLIFFHANGER!

**Spectre:** That's evil!

**Chris:** True. If it was a visual, it's make a great jump scare in a horror movie. And, Spectre? Why the Shizuo reference?!

**Spectre:** Because Zach and I act so much like Izaya and Shizuo when we fight. However, in a mellow mode, we're vice-versa. I'm the chill smooth-talker, and he's the pissed-off blonde bastard.

**Chris:** Sadly…that's very true. The smooth-talking part, at least.

**Spectre:** Can you announce something, Chris?

**Chris:** Oh right. The author of this story, DragonGamer0713, is going into the Navy and is being shipped out on November 19th of 2012.

**Spectre:** Why say the year?

**Chris:** Just in case people read it in January of 2013. Anyway, she'll be in boot camp for 6-8 weeks, with no Internet, no laptop, nothing! She's going to be completely off-the-grid for boot camp.

**Spectre:** You know how upset my owner is about it, right?

**Chris:** I know. He's very, VERY upset. I am too.

**Spectre:** We're going to miss her.

**Chris:** Don't make me cry. Please, bid her good luck and she'll do her best to update this story in her A school after her graduation.

**Spectre:** I belong to Awkward Headshot or also known as IA. And here is his after note on the subject:

"Wow... Man, it's been years since I first talked to Dragon here, and now she's gonna bail off into the Navy. It feels like yesterday we first exchanged PM's here, and now it's goodbye for a few months.

Dragon, you were probably the closest thing I ever had to a twin, or someone I could trust absolutely. You know more about me than anybody else does, and vice-versa.

Everyone out there on , it's been fun, it really has, writing Spectre's parts and providing ideas for Dragon, but now that she's leaving for the time being, I guess you'll be stuck with no new reading material, and ain't that just a cryin' shame.

But anyways, Dragon, I'll be waiting. I think I can speak for everyone on this site when I say that we'll be waiting. Get back safe. I love you.

-IA"


	23. Chapter 23

Scar had literally had two seconds to dodge the swinging claw that would've taken his right face off. Scar snarled and took a hop back, barking at the darkness, "Enough! Why do you think you're in chains while the rest of us roam free?!"

His only response was more chain rattling in the black void.

"You're unstable and impossible to control. Yes, you're intelligent, but that doesn't mean you have free reign of this world." He removed his hood and rubbed his temples with his claws, his dirty mustard-blonde bangs covering his bloody eye sockets, "I still don't know why I keep you. You're just as stubborn and hard-headed as you were when you were human. However, I was never one to turn my back on my family…Father."

The rattling stopped and the air around them mellowed a bit. Scar, without another word, turned around and walked back up the stairs back into the afternoon sunlight. Flipping up his hood, Scar took a deep breath and tried to relax. Today was a day for emotions and past regrets for him. Thinking back, he kinda wish that he never went against Spectre, but now it's personal. The fact that he was in love with his own twin disgusted him for some reason. Perhaps he was jealous that I was able to find love in this hellish world. He sighed, closing his eyelids, remembering his girlfriend and would-be child. "I wish…I can have them back…"

"Scar?"

He gasped and quickly regained his leadership posture. "Yes?"

A witch called him out. "You're not going to be very happy about this, Scar, but…Spectre's on his way here."

"Wait…why?"

Spectre walked into the sugar mill with no fear of being attacked. Some of the wandering witches looked up and growled at the chimera, but didn't attack. He cocked an eyebrow, wondering why the witches were restraining themselves. However, he wasn't going to question it.

Scar, standing on the top balcony over the factory floor, sighed and growled, "What do you want?!"

The Marine looked up, "Oh, there you are. I just want to talk."

The alpha male scowled at the word, "What will this talk cover?"

"I'm not going to attack you here, Scar. This is your turf, not mine. Plus, I have no reason to attack."

"If you remember our fight, you had no reason to attack me; I attacked you for kissing Chris."

He sighed, "It was a mistake."

"I'll say!" he growled, still sore about seeing that kiss between us. He leaped over the railing and landed on his feet with literally no effort.

"Actually, I did have a reason to fight: self-defense."

"Last time I checked, Marine, self-defense is using the same amount of force at your attacker to cease the conflict."

Spectre cocked an eyebrow, "How do you know that?"

"I know…knew…a guy who was military. He handed me his old notes and I looked them over."

"Regardless, you would've tried to kill me. If I let you go, you'd just keep coming back. Zach, you're in a vicious cycle that you seem to refuse to break."

He looked up, internally shocked that he was called by his first name. He wasn't Zach anymore; he was Scar, the Alpha Hunter. However, deep in his heart, he wanted to be human again. Scar wouldn't mind starting his life over, raise a family, etc. Shaking these pipe-dream thoughts away, he growled at Spectre, "You think you're the stronger one."

"So, it's a pride thing."

"Originally, yes it was. Now it's personal."

"Just because of Chris?"

He growled, "She's my twin sister, Vincent."

He sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Ever fallen in love, Zach?"

"Years ago…"

He smiled shyly almost, "I've fallen in love with your sister. She's amazing. Chris is perfect."

"Perfect? No one's perfect," Scar crossed his arms as well.

"She's my perfect. She sees her flaws and embraces them, instead of every other woman in the world who tries to make themselves perfect." Plus, I was amazing in bed, but that was a detail to keep under wraps. Spectre just smiled at the thought of us together, his hearts aflutter. He felt so happy; he wants to be with me forever.

Scar, on the other hand, wasn't very thrilled to have his twin being fantasied in his rival's head. "Spectre, I swear—"

"SCAR!" a witch screamed out.

"What is it?"

"An army coming this way!"

Scar growled and turned to Spectre, "I'll deal with you later." The Alpha Hunter hopped onto the catwalk and ran over to the witch who yelled, "What army?"

She pointed to a small group of armed humans in the distance down the street. He growled softly and studied them for a moment. The group was not only humans…

Spectre appeared next to Scar and announced, "It's safe. That's just Chris and the rest."

"Rest?" Scar scowled, not liking the sound of others.

The chimera turned to him, "Yeah. Chris' original group. The survivors."

Scar blinked and strained his eye sockets to see. Sure enough, Spectre was right. "Why are they here?!" He snapped his head towards Spectre and snarled, "You brought them here!"

His eyes widened, "No, no! I wouldn't do that!"

"Yes you would, Marine!"

"Hey, if this was a staged attack, I would be able to destroy all of you by myself!" he barked back.

Scar snarled, but turned back to the advancing group. As much as he hated to admit it, Spectre was powerful enough to kill them off by himself. However, he'll never acknowledge it; the last thing he needed was to get Spectre a bigger sense of pride in his mutation. He had to think of something to stop their trip. "I need to stop them."

Just as he was about to pounce, he heard Melissa cackle, "You chasing after that girl, Scar?"

Spectre growled, clearly protective about me, "Hey! Mind your place!"

The witch hissed, thrashing against her chains, "I do know my place, chimera! You freak of nature!"

Spectre ignored her insults, keeping a strong face as he asked, "You're going to stop them? They'll just open fire on you."

"You got any better ideas?!" he hissed.

"Yes, actually, I do. I'll go back down there and halt them. Chris will see you though."

Scar sighed, "Very well. But we're not done talking, Spectre."

His face softened to an expression of respect. With a firm nod, he replied, "I look forward to finishing it." Vanishing into thin air, he reappeared on the trailer near them.

Scar watched as most of the survivors took aim at Spectre or spooking them, but quickly relaxed. He hopped down and looked like he was talking to me about something. I broke away from the group and advanced towards the sugar mill on my own.

"Scar!" I barked.

He sighed and hopped down to greet me from his post, "Yes, Chris?" He looked tired, possibly drained from the healing process on his body or from the mental stress on this situation.

"You're my brother, aren't you?!" I growled. This goose chase has gone long enough.

"Blunt and straight to the point, eh? That's just like our father," he sighed almost sadly.

I gasped; he wasn't denying it or…giving a straight answer, in fact. "Zach…?"

He looked up, a sharp spark shot through his veins. Closing his eyes, he smiled, "I've waited for so long to hear you say my real name."

"You need a life, creeper."

"Well, sorry for missing my second half. My only twin that I've wanted to meet for years."

I frowned and nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I'm sorry for keeping that a secret from you."

I shrugged, "I'm sure you had your reasons. Besides, you're not as subtle as you think."

He chuckled, "I guess. Was our mother secretive?"

I frowned and sighed, "Yeah. She and I were barely honest with each other. I guess we both kept secrets from each other. However, I could tell if something was bothering her. What about Dad?"

"He was strict and very hard to please. I grew up with no help from him. He belittled me constantly and worked all day. I had no friends and had to teach myself how to interact with people. So, imagine the first time I was ever picked on?"

"My money's on you punching the guy in the face?"

He laughed, "Close enough, Chris!" Scar sat down and smiled, actually enjoying this moment. "Anyway, having no friends, I went through high school wishing to have you with me. I heard things from our father about you from our mother and I dreamed of you…"

"Again, that's creepy."

"Sorry, Chris, but yeah…I am creepy. I blame my lack of interaction with other humans."

I rolled my eyes, "You are my twin brother. I barely had any friends growing up. Sheila is my only really faithful friend."

"Sheila?"

"Spectre's daughter…to my own shock. I'm still trying to get over that."

Scar blinked; Spectre actually had a family?! Based on his history that he knew, he was actually surprised that he would be able to settle down. "Really?"

"Yeah. However, I didn't know until I saw a picture of them together as a family. But, Sheila is my best friend…or she was, until we ran into the others."

Scar sighed, "Lucky."

"You still have Nathan and the rest of your crew, Scar. You're a very effective leader. Plus, you saved me."

Suddenly, all of the witches began to shriek in terror as thunderous roars overhead alerted all of the zombies in the area. Scar and I looked up and gasped. "No…"

"It can't be!" I shouted in disbelief.

Overhead were helicopters…Army choppers to be exact. Armed to the teeth and having more armor than a knight from the Dark Ages, many troops jumped down to the ground with the help of tethering lines. As soon as their heavy combat boots touched the blood-stained metal, the bullets flew through the air.

My eyes widened as Scar and I quickly turned invisible and darted in different directions in the panicked fury. Witches screamed as lead penetrated their pale bodies. Some were brave enough to rush at the soldiers and thrashed through their caviler body armor. However, cutting through the tough material took much longer than to crown them.

Scar snarled out commands, "Aim for the unarmored and weak-armored spots! Neck! Back of knees! Arm pits! Anywhere to enable movement!"

All I could do was leap up to the nearest high catwalk and look down at the battle below. "Five bucks says this will become much worse…"

One day I'll learn to keep my mouth shut…

**Detour: Whoa, wait! That's it?! You disappear for many months and when you finally come back, all you give is this?!**

**Me: Hey, I'm sorry, but this fanfiction is literally being run to the ground on a topic that's not entirely 'hyped' anymore. Plus, most of my notes are back at home…**

**Detour: Is that so? Well, at least try to make the next chapter much longer and action-packed!**

**Me: I plan on it.** **Once again, Spectre doesn't belong to me. Everyone else, shockingly, does (at least everyone who talked in this chapter)**


End file.
